Question

You are

. . . an orthopedic technologist working with Kenneth Stannard, MD, at Fulwood Medical Center.

Your patient is

. . . James Fox, a 17-year-old male who complains of severe pain in his right wrist. While playing soccer a few hours earlier, he fell. James pushed his hand out to break his fall and heard his wrist snap. The wrist is now swollen and deformed.

VS are T 98.2, P 92, R 15, BP 110/76. On examination, his right wrist is swollen and tender and has a dinner-fork deformity. An IV has been started, and he has been given 3 mg of morphine IV. An x-ray of the wrist was ordered which reveals a closed Colles Fx.

In your initial post answer the following:

• What type of physician is Dr. Stannard?
• The fracture has been described as closed: What is its complexity?
  • Does it require surgery?
• What does the abbreviation Fx mean?
• Why was James given morphine?
• In a Colles Fx, what is a bone that is likely affected?

Answer 1

- Dr Stannard is an orthopaedic physician or orthopedician. An orthopaedic Doctor deals with musculoskeletal system disorders which includes bones, joints, muscles, tendon and ligaments.
-  Closed fractures are simple fractures where broken bones do not penetrate the skin to form open wound.
Closed fractures have low complexity as they are closed and chances of infection and impaired blood supply are less. Such type of fractures heal faster.
- A closed fracture usually do or require surgery. Such fractures can be treated through closed reduction and immobilization of the affected limb in a plaster cast or a sling.
- The abbreviation Fx stands for fracture. Fracture is the break in the continuity of a bone.
- Morphine is a pain killer indicated in chronic and acute pain.
Fracture of bone results in damage to bone tissue and the surrounding soft tissues. This leads to acute sharp pain after a fracture. Administration of morphine reduces pain caused by fracture.
- Colle's fracture affects the radius bone of the forearm. It a the fracture of the distal end of radius.