An orthopedic emergency is a situation when you injure soft tissue or bone that demands instant medical attention to combat serious consequences like aggravated trauma or harm to the body. You could be in a state of orthopedic emergency due to acute injuries, such as dislocations, fractures, concussions, or tendon ruptures.
Some complications like blood clots, infection, swelling, or re-injury post-surgery or due to an existing bone issue also falls under the orthopedic emergency category. So, how can one prepare for an orthopedic emergency, mainly during these trying times of the pandemic?
How to know if it is an orthopedic emergency?
First things first, you need to confirm if the situation you are in calls for an emergency. Here are a few conditions that could help you understand if you need emergency orthopedic care:
- A broken bone
- Concussion symptoms like memory loss, blackouts, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting when you hit your head.
- Misalignment of your limb or joint after an injury, fall, or accident
- Unexpected bleeding from your wound post an orthopedic surgery
- Joint infection symptoms like fever, swollen joints, pain and chills.
- Sudden pain in the groin area or thigh in patients having osteoporosis
- Chest pain, cough, or shortness of breath after fracture repair or joint replacement surgery
- Sudden calf pain after lower-body orthopedic surgery – could be deep vein thrombosis (a condition of a blood clot in the leg that moves up to the lungs)
- Aggravation of pain in the twisted limb after an orthopedic surgery
- Swelling, numb toes or fingers in people wearing a cast – could be cast compression syndrome
- Severe back pain, difficulty while urinating, and weakness in the legs after a spinal surgery
- Swelling around the fracture repair site
In case of the above-mentioned scenarios, you must call your orthopedic surgeon or book an appointment for emergency care. In most of these conditions, same-day orthopedic consultation is recommended.
How orthopedic surgeons are preparing for emergency cases?
Now, let’s get to the section on how doctors and hospitals are preparing for facing orthopedic emergencies during Covid-19. You, as a patient, should be well aware of the measures medical facilities and orthopedic surgeons are taking to ensure your safety.
To start with, various patients might be facing delayed orthopedic care as hospital beds and medical staff from all the departments are into treating Covid patients. Despite the grave medical emergency, orthopedic surgeons are making time for the patients in dire need of emergency care.
- When a patient calls the doctor, they would be first up for a telephonic screening to know the severity of their condition. If surgery or immediate orthopedic treatment is required, an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon is booked.
- After a video conference or in-person consultation (under complete supervision and precautions) will allow for the creation of a treatment plan. In case of an injury, the patient must reach the hospital in time.
- Before a surgical procedure, the doctor carries out a covid test three days before the surgery date. The patient must stay in home quarantine or self-isolation until the scheduled date of surgery.
- The surgeon also notes the patient’s travel history, health conditions, and body temperature.
- No visitors are allowed with the patient, ensuring there are fewer people in and around the operation theatre.
- In case a patient needs a caretaker, they must undergo the Covid screening process.
- Limited medical staff in the OPD.
- In between the emergency consultation and surgery date, online pre-operation sessions are provided by the orthopedic team to prepare patients for the surgery and recovery process.
Note: The physician will carry out an immediate chest CT scan to detect the presence of Covid infection in case of emergency, so as to not wait for the RT-PCR report.
In a Nutshell
Encountering an orthopedic emergency is the last thing patients want to deal with right now. However, understanding what accounts for that one emergency call to your orthopedic surgeon and understanding how they are taking care of the emergency consultation will make them better prepared for the situation.