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Dealing with Fracture

General. Fractures are the result of injury to the normally firm skeletal tissue-bone. Fractures may be of three main types:

1. Simple fracture. The bone is broken in one place and there is little displacement (i.e. little disrupture of surrounding tissues, and the broken ends remain fairly close together).

2. Multiple fractures - the bone is fractured in more than one place.

3. Compound fracture - the fracture involves gross displacement or damage to surrounding tissues, the broken ends are not in alignment and may even be protruding through the skin.

It will be seen that the compound fracture is by far the most serious. Not only is there displacement of the broken ends but if the skin is broken the bone tissue may be contaminated by dirt and bacteria.

It should always be remembered that a fracture, or a suspected fracture, should be attended to by a veterinary surgeon as promptly as possible. Some fractures (e.g., those affecting ribs, joints, and deep tissues like the pelvis) can be diagnosed only by examining the injured area by X-rays. With these aids to diagnosis the treatment can be carried out more accurately, and the owner given a better idea of the final outcome.

Whilst doctors have the advantage of being able to order a patient with a fractured pelvis to lie on his back in a plaster cast for two or three months the veterinary surgeon must adapt his treatment to his less co-operative, but frequently more sensible, patient.

Therefore we find that, in the wide field of fractures, anaesthetics, either local or general, are extensively used. We find that new techniques have been evolved to "fix" the broken bones in position, such as bone-pinning and the Stader splint. In addition, in compound fractures where there has been damage to, and possible infection of, the bone tissue itself antibiotics such as penicillin and streptomycin are widely used. Some fractures, typically those of certain parts of the pelvis, are impossible to splint or pin and these may therefore heal only with enforced rest and time, and certain special aids.

First-aid in cases of fractures can be important indeed, and if carried out properly it may prevent a simple fracture becoming a compound one. Common sense and a little knowledge can also prevent or lessen the extent of infection in cases of compound fracture.

First-aid measures are:

The first requirement in a fracture case is to give support to the injured limb. This will prevent displacement of the broken ends, aid subsequent healing, limit shock, pain, and haemorrhage. To attain this end, the limb should be fixed or supported in as near the natural alignment or position as is possible. Simple fractures are commonest in the long bones, i.e., the main bones of the limbs, and the best support is given by splints. Frequently these must of necessity be simple as available materials may be crude and inadequate.

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