A fracture where the skin at the injury site is broken, and the bone may protrude through the skin is called what?

• A. Closed Fracture
• B. Greenstick Fracture
• C. Stress Fracture
• D. Open Fracture

Answer: (D)

An open fracture vividly shows the impact of a break that breaches the skin. When the skin is broken and the bone may protrude, the injury is exposed to the environment, which raises infection risk and often requires prompt, definitive care such as wound cleaning, antibiotics, and surgical intervention. In the field, you would protect the wound with a sterile dressing if possible, immobilize the limb with a splint, avoid pushing the bone back in, and get the person to emergency care quickly.

Think of the other types as contrasts: a closed fracture has skin intact, so there’s no open wound; a greenstick fracture is an incomplete break in one side of a bone, common in bending bones of children; a stress fracture is a tiny crack from repetitive stress, usually without an open wound and with pain that worsens with activity.