OUR WEEKLY TALKS ON AMBULANCE WORK

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 219, 16 September 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR WEEKLY TALKS ON AMBULANCE WORK

lfp XIV.-Fractures of the Collar-bone and Arm.

Fracture of the Collar bone.—This fracture is frequently caused by a fall on the hand or shoulder. The arm on the injured eide is partially helpless, and the patient usually supports it at the elbow with his hand, and inclines his head towards the injured side. Treatment.— 1. Remove the coat and as much more of the clothing as is expedient. Lnfasten a man's brace on the injured side. 2. Place in the armpit a pad about -i" thick, 2in broad and 4in across. 3. Apply a St. John sling (see Figs. 12 to 17 of No. 3 of this series 1. 4. Secure the injured limb firmly to the side by a broad bandage passed round the elbow and trunk, so as to lever out and draw back the shoulder, the pad forming the fulcrum as shown in Fig. 6" (top right > 5. Make sure that the pulse is present at the wrist; if it is not, relax the bandage around the body. C Tighten the sling. 7. Treat shock. Figure 67, top right, shows the work completed. Note that the lower edge of the bandage round the waist is just above and showing the point of the elbow. Fracture of the Arm-bone.—All the general signs and symptoms of fracture are usually present. Treatment.— 1. Seat the patient. 2. Place the forearm across the body, keeping the thumb uppermost. 3. Apply a small arm sling. Sec Figs. 10 to 11 of No. 2 of this serins and Fig. 68 (bottom left). 4. Apply splints, reaching from the shoulder to the elbow on the front, back, and outer side of the arm in its present position as in Fig. 68 (bottom left). 5. Secure the splints by bandages above and below the fracture (Fig. 69). If splints are not available, or if the fracture is too high up for a bandage to be placed above it, secure the limb to the side by one or two broad bandages. 6. Treat shock. NOTE: In a fracture of the arm, the small arm sling is used to preany upward pressure being applied to the elbow. Injuries at or near the elbow-joint are often accompanied with so much swelling as to make it difficult to determine their nature. The only treatment that should be attempted before the arrival of a doctor is to support the limb in the most comfortable position by a small arm sling or by resting it on a pillow, and to apply a cold compress to the affected part.