An open fracture is most accurately defined as a fracture in which:

• A. The overlying skin is no longer intact
• B. The overlying skin remains intact
• C. The fracture is closed
• D. There is no bleeding

Answer: (A)

An open fracture (also called a compound fracture) is defined by a break in the bone with a wound that communicates with the fracture site, meaning the overlying skin is not intact. That skin disruption creates a direct pathway from the outside environment into the injury, which is why infection risk is higher and specific care steps are needed, like covering the wound with a sterile dressing and handling the limb gently to avoid further contamination.

This differs from a closed fracture, where the skin remains intact and there isn’t an open wound connected to the fracture. Bleeding can occur with either type, so the presence or absence of bleeding doesn’t define an open fracture. The defining feature is the loss of skin integrity over the fracture.