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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Burns, Fractures and Sprains

Splint

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/splɪnt/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, splint means: A rigid or padded support fastened along an injured limb to stop it moving, reduce pain and prevent further damage.

In Turkish: atel

How it is used

Ambulances carry vacuum splints, box splints and traction splints for thigh fractures; first aiders may improvise one from a rolled-up magazine. 'Splint' is also a verb: splint the arm. In hospital, a plaster 'backslab' may be used before a full cast.

Example sentences

  1. We put a vacuum splint on her lower leg before moving her.

  2. His forearm was splinted at the scene and he came in with good pain control.

Common collocations

  • vacuum splint
  • traction splint
  • apply a splint
  • improvised splint
  • fractureA break or crack in a bone, from a thin crack that barely shows on an X-ray to a bone broken into several pieces.
  • immobilizeTo keep an injured part of the body from moving, using a splint, sling, collar or stretcher, to reduce pain and further damage.
  • slingA piece of cloth tied around the neck that supports an injured arm, wrist or shoulder and keeps it still.
  • dislocationAn injury in which a bone is forced out of its normal position in a joint, such as the shoulder, a finger or the kneecap.

More terms: Burns, Fractures and Sprains

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.