compound fracture
- noun
- /ˈkɒmpaʊnd ˈfræktʃər/
- Specialized
- You have a compound fracture of the tibia in both legs, and the fibula in the right leg is fractured, too.
- compound fracture of the tibia
- compound fracture of one leg
- suffered a compound fracture
And I had really, really severe injuries, head injuries, compound fracture of the femur, massive breaks all over, right.
- And I had really, really severe injuries, head injuries, compound fracture of the femur, massive breaks all over, right.
- He had a compound fracture bone came out and and anchored him right into the ground.
Examples
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Tell the OR that the compound fracture to the left femur is on its way up.
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The doctors laid it out straight and hard: cracked pelvis, two broken arms, compound fracture of one leg, internal injuries.
Fiction book (1993) -
Okay, we got multiple compound fractures on the right leg.
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This other man has a compound fracture in his left leg.
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Compound fractures in both legs and probably head trauma.
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But she's got a compound fracture of the right hip.
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He's got a compound fracture in his right radius.
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Compound fractures, both femur and tibia.
Fiction book (1999) -
Prairie View A&M junior guard Louis Munks left the game with 6:04 remaining in a wheelchair with a compound fracture of his right leg.
Blog text (23) -
The doctor explained that he suffered a compound fracture in his leg, which required immediate surgery.
Synonyms
A broken bone that sticks out through a cut in the skin
Antonyms
- Specialized
A broken bone that does not cut the skin or badly damage nearby tissue
How Severe
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
While 'fracture' clearly signals a break, the adjective 'compound' (commonly understood as 'made of parts' or 'combined') does not transparently convey the crucial clinical sense of an 'open' break in which bone pierces the skin; a B1 learner who knows the constituents is likely to infer 'complex' or 'multiple' break rather than an open wound. The term is also a technical/medical label (many other languages use a literal equivalent of 'open fracture'), so the specific meaning is partially linked to the parts but not predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The term compound fracture shows the image of a fracture where the broken bone is compound because it also makes an 'open wound' by 'piercing the skin'. That's why it means 'a broken bone that pierces the skin'.