Musculoskeletal Injuries and Splinting Flashcards

What is the PRIMARY purpose of applying a splint to a suspected fracture in the pre-hospital setting?

Answer: Prevent further injury and reduce pain

Splinting prevents further injury to soft tissues, nerves, and blood vessels while reducing pain and movement at the fracture site.

An open fracture is defined as one in which:

Answer: Bone or bone ends break through the overlying skin

An open (compound) fracture involves bone or bone ends penetrating through the skin, creating an external wound and a high risk of infection.

When assessing an injured extremity, the abbreviation 'PMS' stands for:

Answer: Pulse, Motor function, Sensation

PMS (Pulse, Motor function, Sensation) is the standard neurovascular assessment used to evaluate an injured extremity before and after splinting.

A traction splint is most appropriately applied to which injury?

Answer: Mid-shaft femur fracture

Traction splints are designed specifically for mid-shaft femur fractures to reduce pain and blood loss by applying gentle traction to counter muscle spasm.

When splinting an injured extremity, the splint should be applied to immobilize:

Answer: The joint above and the joint below the injury

A properly applied splint must immobilize the joint above and the joint below the suspected fracture to eliminate bone movement at the injury site.

Which of the following is the most reliable indicator of a possible bone fracture even when no deformity is visible?

Answer: Point tenderness directly over the bone

Point tenderness directly over the bone is a highly reliable indicator of fracture and should prompt immobilization and transport.

Before splinting, crepitus is identified when an EMR palpates a suspected fracture site. Crepitus refers to:

Answer: A grating or grinding sensation caused by broken bone ends rubbing together

Crepitus is the grating or grinding sensation produced when fractured bone ends move and rub against each other during palpation.