Question

Your 80-year-old grandmother, Tess, while putting dishes up on a shelf, fell off a step stool and was unable to get up. She activated her medical lifeline, and the emergency medical team arrived at the scene. They noticed her right leg was abducted and she was complaining of pain in her right leg and hip. Tess was taken to the emergency department, where an X-ray revealed that the neck of her right femur was fractured. Further X-rays revealed a reduced bone mass in her right hip, femur, and vertebrae. Surgery was done to repair the hip.

What organ and body system was affected by the injury?

Answer 1

Tess's hip fracture affected her skeletal and muscular systems, with the injury likely exacerbated by osteoporosis, which reduced her bone density and increased fracture risk. Surgery and recovery from this type of injury can lead to severe complications such as deep vein thrombosis and pneumonia.

Step-by-step explanation:

The injury sustained by the 80-year-old grandmother Tess, who fell and fractured the neck of her right femur, affected the skeletal and muscular systems. The hip fracture indicates significant trauma to the femoral region, which is part of the appendicular skeleton. Osteoporosis, which is common in the elderly, likely contributed to the fragility of the bones and the subsequent break. This condition affects the osseous tissue and can be observed histologically as a reduction in bone density, particularly in the femur and vertebrae, making fractures more likely with minor traumas or falls.

The hip is especially prone to osteoporotic fractures due to its load-bearing nature and the high incidence of osteoarthritis in this joint. Surgery is often required to repair a fractured hip, and the recovery involves a significant period of immobility, which can lead to further complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, infection of pressure ulcers, and increased morbidity and mortality.