EMR Musculoskeletal Injuries and Splinting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the PRIMARY purpose of applying a splint to a suspected fracture in the pre-hospital setting?
- Prevent further injury and reduce pain (Correct answer)
- Realign bone fragments to their normal position
- Eliminate the need for X-rays at the hospital
- Restore circulation to the injured limb
Correct 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.
Question 2: An open fracture is defined as one in which:
- The fracture involves more than two bone fragments
- Bone or bone ends break through the overlying skin (Correct answer)
- The fracture is not visible on X-ray
- Both bones of a paired limb are fractured
Correct 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.
Question 3: When assessing an injured extremity, the abbreviation 'PMS' stands for:
- Pain, Movement, Sensation
- Pulse, Motor function, Sensation (Correct answer)
- Perfusion, Mobility, Swelling
- Pressure, Motion, Stability
Correct 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.
Question 4: A traction splint is most appropriately applied to which injury?
- Open fracture of the tibia
- Mid-shaft femur fracture (Correct answer)
- Dislocated knee
- Bilateral lower leg fractures
Correct 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.
Question 5: When splinting an injured extremity, the splint should be applied to immobilize:
- Only the fracture site itself
- The joint above and the joint below the injury (Correct answer)
- The entire limb from the shoulder or hip to the foot
- The fracture site and the joint below only
Correct 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.
Question 6: Which of the following is the most reliable indicator of a possible bone fracture even when no deformity is visible?
- Bruising appearing 24 hours after injury
- Point tenderness directly over the bone (Correct answer)
- Muscle soreness surrounding the injury
- Decreased range of motion in a nearby joint
Correct 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.
Question 7: Before splinting, crepitus is identified when an EMR palpates a suspected fracture site. Crepitus refers to:
- A visible deformity indicating bone displacement
- A grating or grinding sensation caused by broken bone ends rubbing together (Correct answer)
- Increased warmth and redness over the fracture site
- A crackling sensation caused by air under the skin
Correct 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.
EMR Musculoskeletal Injuries and Splinting 1
What is the PRIMARY purpose of applying a splint to a suspected fracture in the pre-hospital setting?