Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery
Injuries arrive without warning and some cannot wait for a morning list. Open fractures, hip fractures in older patients and injuries threatening the blood supply to a limb all do worse with delay, and theatre is available at any hour for them.
- Emergency theatre at any hour
- Hip fractures operated early
- Open fractures treated urgently
- Orthopaedic and general surgery together
Stay
2 to 7 days
Duration
Varies with the injury
Anaesthesia
General or regional
About Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery
Some fractures are genuinely time critical. Open fractures need cleaning within hours to prevent infection. Hip fractures in older patients do measurably better when operated within a day or two, because every day in bed costs muscle, causes chest complications and increases confusion. Others can wait safely for swelling to settle, and waiting is then the right decision.
- Open fractures need urgent cleaning to prevent infection
- Hip fractures in older patients do better operated early
- Some fractures are better operated after swelling settles
- Waiting is sometimes the correct clinical decision
Before you read on
Everything here is general information about orthopaedic trauma surgery. Whether it suits you, and how it would be done in your case, is a decision for your doctor after examining you.
Your consultant's instructions always take precedence over anything written on this page.
When is it recommended?
Situations in which a doctor may suggest orthopaedic trauma surgery.
- Open or compound fractures
- Hip fractures in older adults
- Fractures with threatened blood supply
- Dislocations that will not reduce
- Multiple fractures after major injury
- Compartment syndrome
- Fractures with nerve or vessel injury
Procedure details
The usual sequence, from first consultation through to follow-up.
Assessment
The whole patient is assessed, not just the obvious injury, with X-rays and CT where needed and pain relief given early.
Prioritising
Time-critical injuries go first. Where swelling means surgery is safer in a few days, that is explained and a plan set.
Surgery
Fixation appropriate to the injury: plates, nails, screws or an external frame, with C-arm imaging throughout.
Recovery
Mobilisation begins as early as the fixation allows, with physiotherapy starting on the ward.
How to prepare
What to sort out before you come in.
- This is emergency care, so come as you are
- Call 108 for serious injury rather than moving the person yourself
- Do not eat or drink after a significant injury, as surgery may be needed
- Bring the medication list, particularly blood thinners
- Tell staff about diabetes and previous surgery on that limb
Recovery
What to expect afterwards, and roughly when.
- Length of stay depends on the injury and whether you can manage at home
- Follow weight-bearing instructions exactly, as they protect the fixation
- Physiotherapy begins on the ward rather than after discharge
- Bone union takes six to twelve weeks; function takes longer
- Follow-up X-rays confirm healing at set intervals
Why choose Humayun for orthopaedic trauma
Some fractures are time critical and some are not, and knowing which is most of the skill.
- Emergency theatre available at any hour for the injuries that genuinely cannot wait
- Hip fractures in older patients prioritised, because delay costs muscle and independence
- Honest explanation where waiting for swelling to settle is the safer choice
- Orthopaedic and general surgical teams operating together where injuries cross both
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