Open Fracture is defined as?

• A. Broken bone with skin penetration
• B. Broken bone without skin penetration
• C. Hairline fracture
• D. Sprain

Answer: (A)

Open fractures are defined by a break in a bone that is accompanied by a wound that communicates with the fracture, meaning the skin is breached and the bone or fracture site is exposed. That skin opening is what sets open fractures apart from other fractures and drives a higher risk of infection and soft tissue injury, so the management emphasizes rapid contamination control and stabilization. In practice, this means applying sterile dressing to the wound, administering IV broad-spectrum antibiotics, giving tetanus prophylaxis if needed, performing prompt surgical debridement to remove nonviable tissue, and stabilizing the fracture (often with external fixation first, then definitive fixation as appropriate). The other terms don’t fit: a broken bone without skin penetration is a closed fracture; a hairline fracture is a subtle crack that doesn’t involve open communication with the outside; a sprain is a ligament injury without a bone fracture.