Question:medium
You are posted as an intern in casualty. Among the following patients with fracture, which will be your first priority to call the ortho PG and inform?
You are posted as an intern in casualty. Among the following patients with fracture, which will be your first priority to call the ortho PG and inform?
Show Hint
Which sign points to lost blood supply and looming gangrene?
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Patient's finger is blackening
- Patient cannot extend his arm
- A 10 cm abrasion
- Intra-articular fracture of the elbow joint
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Approach this as a triage exercise. Ask which option, if delayed, will cause the worst irreversible damage in the shortest time.
Step 2: Rank the threats. A black, dusky finger means the artery feeding it is occluded - a vascular emergency where the clock is measured in hours before gangrene sets in. That makes option a the most urgent escalation.
Step 3: Compare with the rest. Loss of arm extension is a neuromuscular or tendon deficit that can be assessed without instant intervention. A 10 cm abrasion is a clean-and-dress soft-tissue issue. An intra-articular elbow fracture will need surgery on a planned list but does not threaten limb survival in the next hour.
Step 4: Because preserving blood supply takes precedence over deformity, wounds or joint involvement, the blackening finger goes to the orthopaedic PG first.
\[\boxed{\text{Patient's finger is blackening}}\]
Step 2: Rank the threats. A black, dusky finger means the artery feeding it is occluded - a vascular emergency where the clock is measured in hours before gangrene sets in. That makes option a the most urgent escalation.
Step 3: Compare with the rest. Loss of arm extension is a neuromuscular or tendon deficit that can be assessed without instant intervention. A 10 cm abrasion is a clean-and-dress soft-tissue issue. An intra-articular elbow fracture will need surgery on a planned list but does not threaten limb survival in the next hour.
Step 4: Because preserving blood supply takes precedence over deformity, wounds or joint involvement, the blackening finger goes to the orthopaedic PG first.
\[\boxed{\text{Patient's finger is blackening}}\]
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