OEC Musculoskeletal Injuries & Splinting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of splinting a fracture in outdoor emergency care?
- Reduce the fracture back into alignment
- Immobilize the injury to prevent further damage and reduce pain (Correct answer)
- Apply traction to restore normal limb length
- Compress bleeding vessels around the injury site
Correct answer: Immobilize the injury to prevent further damage and reduce pain
Splinting immobilizes the injured area to prevent further bone, vessel, and nerve damage while reducing pain and facilitating safe transport.
Question 2: Which of the following is NOT a classic sign or symptom associated with a fracture?
- Point tenderness over the bone
- Crepitus on palpation
- Increased capillary refill time at the injury site only (Correct answer)
- Deformity or angulation of the limb
Correct answer: Increased capillary refill time at the injury site only
Capillary refill time is assessed distally to check circulation but is not itself a classic fracture sign; point tenderness, crepitus, and deformity are hallmark findings.
Question 3: What does performing a distal CSM check evaluate after applying a splint?
- Circulation, Sensation, and Movement (Correct answer)
- Color, Swelling, and Mobility
- Capillary refill, Strength, and Motor function
- Circulation, Stability, and Mechanism
Correct answer: Circulation, Sensation, and Movement
CSM stands for Circulation, Sensation, and Movement — the three assessments performed distal to a splint to detect neurovascular compromise.
Question 4: Under what circumstance is straightening an angulated extremity fracture appropriate in OEC practice?
- Whenever the OEC Technician believes it looks better
- When the distal pulse is absent or CSM is compromised (Correct answer)
- Only if the patient is in significant pain
- Never — angulated fractures must always be splinted in position found
Correct answer: When the distal pulse is absent or CSM is compromised
OEC protocols allow gentle traction and realignment of an angulated fracture when distal circulation, sensation, or movement is compromised to restore perfusion.
Question 5: What is the most critical first step in managing an open (compound) fracture?
- Apply a rigid splint immediately
- Control bleeding and cover the wound with a sterile dressing (Correct answer)
- Attempt to push exposed bone back under the skin
- Apply a tourniquet proximal to the fracture
Correct answer: Control bleeding and cover the wound with a sterile dressing
Controlling hemorrhage and covering the open wound with a sterile dressing prevents contamination and further blood loss before splinting.
Question 6: Which type of splint uses an uninjured adjacent body part to support and immobilize the injured one?
- Rigid splint
- Traction splint
- Anatomic splint (Correct answer)
- Soft splint
Correct answer: Anatomic splint
An anatomic splint ties the injured part to an adjacent uninjured body part, such as taping injured fingers together or binding an injured leg to the uninjured leg.
Question 7: When applying a splint, padding should be placed primarily to:
- Increase compression over the fracture site
- Fill voids and protect bony prominences from pressure injuries (Correct answer)
- Restrict blood flow to reduce swelling
- Replace the need for checking distal CSM
Correct answer: Fill voids and protect bony prominences from pressure injuries
Padding fills natural voids and cushions bony prominences to prevent pressure sores and discomfort without compromising neurovascular status.
OEC Musculoskeletal Injuries & Splinting 1
What is the primary purpose of splinting a fracture in outdoor emergency care?