The management of facial fractures can be tricky. The face is a very visible part of the body. As such it is important we manage injuries correctly as even ‘minor’ cosmetic deformities can cause significant long term morbidity. As with most things in ED, the management of facial fractures ranges from simple  advice to emergency surgery as they can sometimes be complicated by airway compromise, massive epistaxis and traumatic injuries to the brain and c-spine.

In this presentation Conor Dalby, one of our ACCS trainees, takes a look at the common types of facial fracture. He starts off by looking at some of the symptoms you need to ask about such as facial numbness and ability to breath through the nose before covering some signs which you will need to look for. After this he goes over the more common patterns of fracture to be aware of.

Interpretation of facial x-rays can be tricky if you’re not used to it. If you’d like some online practice why not visit our max fax and ENT webpage which provides plenty of links. For those of us lucky enough to have access to Clinical Key (GHNHSFT staff have access via OpenAthens), I recommend Raby’s – Accident and Emergency Radiology: A Survival Guide. As facial fractures are often complicated by epistaxis you may want to view our previous post on epistaxis management with a short video created by our ENT team.

Enjoy the presentation.