Fracture & Complex Trauma

Fracture refers to the breaking or cracking of a bone. It occurs when the bone is subjected to more force than it can absorb.

There are different types of fractures, including:

• Simple (Closed) Fracture: The bone is broken, but the skin remains intact.
• Compound (Open) Fracture: The broken bone pierces through the skin, increasing the risk of infection.
• Incomplete Fracture: The bone cracks but doesn’t break completely.
• Complete Fracture: The bone breaks into two or more pieces.
• Greenstick Fracture: A partial fracture, typically in children, where the bone bends and cracks.
• Comminuted Fracture: The bone is shattered into multiple pieces.

Complex Trauma in orthopedics refers to severe injuries involving multiple or complicated fractures, often combined with soft tissue damage.

These injuries may involve:

• Multiple fractures: Multiple bones may be broken, often involving different areas of the body.
• Fracture with joint dislocation: A bone fracture combined with a dislocated joint.
• Open fractures with severe soft tissue injury: Open wounds where broken bones are exposed, with extensive damage to surrounding tissues, muscles, nerves, or blood vessels.
• Polytrauma: Multiple traumatic injuries that might affect bones, organs, and tissues, often seen in high-impact accidents.

Treatment for complex trauma requires a multidisciplinary approach, including surgical intervention, internal/external fixation, and sometimes reconstruction of damaged tissues.