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MSC ORT Trauma Week 5 Exam Questions
With 100% Verified Answers
What are the 4 most commonly fractured bones? (Trauma Pathology) - answer✔Vertebral body,
Distal Radius, Proximal Femur (Hip), Tibia/Fibula (Ankle)
What are the 3 main causes of falls in the elderly population? (Trauma Pathology) -
answer✔Chronic health conditions (heart disease), Dementia, Low blood pressure (hypotension)
List the long bones in the body. (Trauma Pathology) - answer✔Humerus, Radius, Ulna, Femur,
Tibia, Fibula
How do you describe a fracture? (Trauma Pathology) - answer✔Bone location, joint
involvement, fracture fragments, displacement, angulation, open vs. closed, other qualities
What are the 6 types of fracture fragment descriptions? (Trauma Pathology) -
answer✔Transverse, linear, oblique non displaced, oblique displaced, spiral, greenstick,
comminuted
What is a pathologic fracture? (Trauma Pathology) - answer✔Something caused from an
underlying disease, often time presence of lesion in the bone
A fracture caused by torquing the bone is called a __________ fracture. (Trauma Fracture
Classification) - answer✔Spiral
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If a bone has a butterfly fracture it can also be called by another name, which means the same
thing. It can be described as fitting in a group of fractures which are called __________ fractures
collectively. (Trauma Fracture Classification) - answer✔Comminuted
Describe a Colles fracture. (Trauma Fracture Classification) - answer✔Dorsal fracture of the
distal radius
What are the most common fracture classifications in orthopaedics? (Trauma Fracture
Classification) - answer✔AO/OTA, Gardener, Schatzker, Neer, Weber, Distal Radius Fx,
Tscherne
What type of diagnostic imaging can be used to diagnose a fracture? (Trauma Fracture
Classification) - answer✔X-Ray
Describe how to read an x-ray. (Trauma Fracture Classification) - answer✔An x-ray examination
creates images of your internal organs or bones to help diagnose conditions or injuries.
What is compartment syndrome? (Trauma Fracture Classification) - answer✔Pressurized fluid in
a portion of a limb
How were fractures traditionally treated before internal fixation was introduced? (Trauma Early
Treatment) - answer✔Immobilization, traction, and amputation
What types of metal are K-wires, plates, and screws used in internal fixation made of? (Trauma
Early Treatment) - answer✔Titanium, stainless steel
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What are some reasons hardware is removed? (Trauma Early Treatment) - answer✔Infection,
patient discomfort, hardware breakage, suspected allergic reaction
What are the 2 main thread types for screws? (Trauma Early Treatment) - answer✔Cortical
screws and cancellous screws
What is the difference between a cortical and cancellous screw? (Trauma Early Treatment) -
answer✔Cortical screw: smaller thread pitch, smaller thread height; stronger b/c of the bigger
core, usually blunt tip, usually inserted bi-cortically for maximum fixation, tip should only
extend 1-2 mm beyond the cortex. Cancellous screw: bigger thread pitch, bigger thread height;
used in metaphysis of larger bones, usually not bi-cortical, partially threaded screws used as lag
screws, pre-drill near cortex needed b/c of less dense bone type
What are the functions of a screw? (Trauma Early Treatment) - answer✔Fix fragments in place,
compress two bone fragments together, anchor a wire or instrument, attach plate to the bone
What are the 5 key functions of plates? (Trauma Plates and Screws) - answer✔Neutralization,
buttress (anti-glide), bridging, tension band, compression
Explain how a buttress plate functions and what type of healing occurs (Trauma Plates and
Screws) - answer✔Providing support in one direction. Anti-glide. Usually around a joint
What does LC-DCP stand for and why is it important? (Trauma Plates and Screws) -
answer✔Limited contact direct compression plate. It has a scalloped undersurface to limit bone
contact which improves blood circulation
