A fracture (or broken bone) is a major and traumatic injury that requires medical attention. However, timely first aid by qualified personnel is not always possible - in some situations it can take hours or days before you have access to professional care. Even in developed countries, on average, a person suffers from two fractures during the span of his life, so this is not a very remote event. For these reasons, it is important to know how to provide first aid to a person who has suffered a fracture, regardless of whether that person is you, a member of your family or another individual in an emergency situation.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Providing First Aid
Step 1. Assess the site of the injury
In an emergency situation with no professional help available, you need to quickly assess the severity of the injury. Trauma resulting from a fall or accident accompanied by severe pain is certainly not synonymous with a fracture, but is generally a good indicator. It is difficult to judge a fracture involving the head, spine, or pelvis without the support of an X-ray, but when the broken bone is in the arms, legs, or toes and hands, these parts of the body typically appear deformed., rotated abnormally and clearly dislocated. If the fracture is very severe, the bone stump may protrude from the skin (open fracture) causing profuse bleeding.
- The other common symptoms of this injury are: inability to move the affected area (reduced mobility or inability to support body weight), immediate swelling and localized hematoma, numbness or tingling downstream of the injury, shortness of breath and nausea.
- When evaluating the situation, be very careful not to move the victim excessively. Moving an individual with a spinal or head injury is very dangerous if you don't have specific training, so you should avoid it.
Step 2. Call the ambulance in severe cases
Once it has been established that it is a serious injury with a good chance of fracture, then call 911 to call for specialized help as soon as possible. If you immediately put into practice some rudimentary first aid procedure, of course you help, but do not replace the intervention of a licensed doctor. If you are near a hospital or clinic, you are pretty sure it is not a life-threatening injury and it only involves a limb, then you can consider driving the victim to the emergency room.
- If you are the victim and you feel that the trauma is not serious, still avoid driving to go to the hospital. You may not be able to drive a car safely, and you may even pass out from the pain, turning yourself into a danger to other motorists.
- If the injury is severe, then stay on the phone with the 911 operator for instructions and emotional comfort in case the situation escalates.
- Call emergency services if you notice one or more of the following signs: the person is not responding, not breathing, or moving; there is copious bleeding; slight pressure or movement causes pain; the limb or joint appears deformed; the bone has pierced the skin; the tip of the injured arm or leg, such as a finger, is numb and bluish at the tip; you suspect a bone fracture in the neck, head or back.
Step 3. If necessary, proceed with cardiopulmonary resuscitation
If the victim is not breathing and you cannot feel the pulse in the wrists or neck, then begin the CPR procedure (if you are able) before the ambulance arrives. This maneuver involves clearing the airways, blowing air into the victim's mouth / lungs and trying to "restart" the heart with rhythmic chest compressions.
- Hypoxia lasting more than 5-7 minutes causes at least some brain damage, so prompt intervention is essential.
- If you do not have the right preparation, then proceed only with the heart massage, compressing the chest without stopping at the rate of 100 compressions per minute, until help arrives.
- If you know how to do CPR, start with chest compressions immediately (about 20-30) and then check the airways for obstructions. Then proceed with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by tilting the victim's head back slightly.
- For an injury to the spine, neck or skull, do not use the method of lowering the head and raising the chin of the injured person. You must open the airways of the jaw, but only if you have been trained to do so. One knee should be placed behind the person and one hand on either side of the face, with the middle and index fingers under and behind the jaw. Press each side of the jaw forward until it protrudes.
Step 4. Stop any bleeding
If the site of the injury is leaking a lot of blood (more than a few drops), then you should try to control the flow, whether or not there is a fracture. Severe major artery bleeding can lead to death within minutes. Controlling blood loss is a priority over treating the fracture. Apply firm pressure to the wound site with the help of sterile, absorbent gauze, although any cloth or tissue is fine in an emergency. Maintain the pressure for a few minutes to encourage a clot to form. Secure the gauze over the wound with an elastic bandage or other piece of cloth, if possible.
- If the bleeding does not subside, then you will need to apply a tourniquet upstream of the injury to stop blood circulation until help arrives. You can make this with pretty much anything that can be tightened around the limb: a string, rope, rubber tube, leather belt, tie, scarf, or shirt.
- If a large object has entered the skin, do not remove it as it could act as a "plug" to the wound and removing it would trigger a serious bleeding.
Part 2 of 2: Coping with the Fracture
Step 1. Immobilize the broken bone
Once the general condition of the victim has been stabilized, you need to deal with the fracture by immobilizing the bone, in case you need to wait an hour or more for the ambulance to arrive. This way you reduce pain and protect the bone from further damage caused by involuntary movements. If you have not been trained in this type of surgery, do not attempt to reduce the fracture, as an awkward or incorrect maneuver could sever blood vessels and nerves leading to bleeding and paralysis. Remember that splints are only useful for limb fractures and not for the torso or pelvis.
- The best technique for immobilizing the fractured limb is to use a splint. Lay a piece of stiff cardboard or plastic, a branch, stick, metal rod, or rolled-up newspaper on either side of the injury to provide bone support. Tie these items together, around the limb, using duct tape, string, string, cord, rubber tube, leather belt, tie, or scarf.
- When applying a splint to a broken bone, try to ensure the movement of the adjacent joints and not to squeeze it too tightly so as not to prevent proper blood circulation.
- This is not necessary if an ambulance is coming, as a badly applied splint could do more harm than good.
Step 2. Apply ice to the wound area
Once the broken bone has been immobilized, apply a cold pack (preferably ice) as soon as possible while you wait for help to arrive. Cold therapy has many benefits, including decreasing pain sensitivity, reducing inflammation, swelling and bleeding by constricting the arteries. If you don't have ice on hand, you can use frozen gel packs or a bag of frozen vegetables. However, remember to always wrap the compress in a thin cloth to avoid chilblains and cold injuries.
- Apply ice for 10-15 minutes or until the area is completely numb before removing it. If you keep the compress compressed on the wound, you can limit the swelling even more, but make sure that the pressure does not increase the pain.
- When you apply ice, allow the injured limb to be raised to relieve swelling and reduce bleeding (if possible).
Step 3. Stay calm and monitor the victim for signs of shock
The fracture is a very traumatic and painful injury. Fear, panic and shock are normal reactions, but they can lead to negative physical consequences; for this reason they must be kept under control. So keep calm and reassure the victim by informing them that the ambulance is on its way and that the situation is under control. While you wait for help, keep the person warm and give them a drink if they are thirsty. Keep talking to her to distract her from the injury.
- Signs of shock include: feeling faint / dizzy, paleness, cold sweats, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, confusion and irrational panic.
- If you feel the victim is in shock, have them lie down supporting their head and lifting their legs. Cover it with a blanket or jacket.
- Shock is a dangerous situation because blood and oxygen are diverted from vital organs. If left untreated, shock causes organ damage.
Step 4. Consider administering pain relievers
If you have to wait for help for more than an hour (or you think it will take a long time), then you could take (if you are the victim) or administer some medication to control the pain and make the wait more tolerable. Paracetamol (Tachipirina) is an appropriate pain reliever for fractures and other internal injuries because it does not "thin" the blood and does not promote bleeding.
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Moment) reduce pain and inflammation, but also have anticoagulant properties, so they are not a good solution for internal damage such as bone fractures.
- Also remember that you should not give aspirin and ibuprofen to young children, as they have serious side effects.
Advice
- Check the limb periodically to make sure the splint is not too tight to impede circulation. Loosen it if you notice that the skin becomes pale, swollen, or numb.
- If blood is oozing from the sterile gauze (or tissue you are using to control bleeding), do not remove it. Just add more layers of gauze and bandages.
- Get a doctor to treat the wound as soon as possible.
Warnings
- Do not move a person with a back, neck, or head injury unless absolutely necessary. If you suspect that there is this type of injury and you need to move the victim, then make sure that the neck, head and back are well supported and aligned with each other. Avoid any kind of twisting or misalignment.
- This article is not a substitute for medical intervention. Make sure the victim is brought to the attention of medical professionals even after being treated as described above, as fractures can also be fatal injuries.
