Evaluation

How will my fracture be evaluated?

First aid for elbow fractures would consist of dressing any wounds, making sure that the nerves and blood vessels to the hand are intact, and splinting the arm. If the patient is holding the elbow flexed then a standard sling may be applied. Otherwise it may be a good idea to splint the elbow in its current position. The patient should be treated for shock and transferred to hospital rapidly.

In the Emergency Room the focus will be on diagnosing the nature of the elbow injury, making sure there are no other injuries, treating pain and shock and obtaining an orthopaedic consultation. The ER staff will remove clothing from the arm so it can be completely examined and this may mean cutting off your clothing. The position of the fracture may be identified by gentle palpation of the elbow and the nerve and blood supply will be examined. Any wounds will be dressed. The x-ray evaluation will normally consist of two or three views of the elbow.

The orthopaedic consultation will usually take place after it has been established that you have a fracture. The orthopaedic surgeon will evaluate your general medical status, examine the arm and evaluate the x-rays. The treatment options will then be discussed with you with consideration being given to your overall medical status, your expectations, work and sports activities, and your preferences. If the fracture is complex the surgeon may order Computerized Tomography (CT) scans of the elbow to get more detail of the anatomy of the fracture.