well i only bring my x-ray glasses with me to work on odd numbered days of the week. so on the days, hwen i can clearly see they have a neck of femur fracture, i procede with my states very specefic NOF immobilization protocols.
just joshing ya. since we usually cant tell what type or location of fracture a patient has, i immobilize according to moi. traction, lbb, board splint, no splint, press hard three copies you can walk splint, whatever is appropriate.
if you KNOW what type/location of the fx, that probably becuase you had a mobile radiology report right? so the patient is in a nursing home, they fell. staff suspects a fx, but instead of sending them out immediatley, they pick them up(read manhandle them back into bed), call the covering md whos orders an xray. xray tech comes out, shoots the film, develops it and leaves it for the radiologist. he reads it dx's it, writes his note and leaves it for his secretary to fax to the nh. after she eats her salad, smokes to marlboro menthol light 100's and chats to her boyfriend for 30min, she gets back to her desk and faxes the note to the nh. after the nurse finishes her salad, smokes her two marlboro menthol lights, calls her sister in whatever the hell country she came from for 30min and gets back to the desk; finds the report and faxes it to md. repeat process for md's secretary. md gets report, calls nursing home and orders pt to be sent to hospital. nurse calls for ambulance. you get there with your clipboard and your jump bag. so they key question: how long has it been since the incident and much damage has been done. furthermore, if these circumstance ring true for thins call or any other that you ever do, how much more damage are you going to do by going through your various immobilization protocols. im not saying whether or not to do it, just food for thought.
btw, that exact call is one i have done countless times in my career.
