Orthopedic Board case studies
Orthopedic Board · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) is the certifying body for orthopaedic surgeons in the United States, and its examination process is the route by which a surgeon becomes a board-certified Diplomate. Certification is a two-stage sequence. Part I is the written examination taken by candidates who have completed orthopaedic residency training; Part II is the oral examination taken later, after the surgeon has been in independent practice, and it is built around the candidate's own submitted case list and reviewed under a published scoring rubric. The ABOS also maintains continuing certification for existing Diplomates, along with subspecialty certification in Surgery of the Hand and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. The Orthopedic Board case studies are 5 cases and about 2,693 words.
1Open Tibia Fracture with Delayed Presentation in a Smoker
A 47-year-old man is transferred to your level II trauma center 14 hours after a Gustilo-Anderson type IIIB open tibial shaft fracture sustained in a motorcycle crash. He was splinted at an outside hospital and given a single dose of cefazolin.
615 words, about 3 min2Elderly Hip Fracture: Timing, Anticoagulation, and Delirium
An 84-year-old woman falls at home and sustains a displaced femoral neck fracture. She lives alone, walks with a cane, and has mild cognitive impairment (baseline MMSE 24).
481 words, about 2 min3Pediatric Supracondylar Fracture with Pulseless Hand
A 6-year-old boy falls from a trampoline and presents 3 hours later with a swollen elbow. He has a Gartland type III supracondylar humerus fracture on radiographs.
536 words, about 3 min4Atypical Femoral Fracture on Long-Term Bisphosphonate
A 68-year-old woman on alendronate for 11 years presents with 3 weeks of dull, aching lateral thigh pain that is worse with weight-bearing. She has no history of trauma.
508 words, about 3 min5Postoperative Fever and Wound Drainage After TKA
A 72-year-old man is postoperative day 4 from a primary total knee arthroplasty. He has a low-grade fever of 38.3°C, mild knee swelling, and serosanguineous drainage through the wound that has not decreased since day 2.
553 words, about 3 min