Zygomatic complex fractures in the emergency department: diagnosis and management
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Zygomatic complex fractures in the emergency department: diagnosis and management

Ali Rizvi Dental core trainee, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, England
Imania Khan Dental core trainee, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, England
Daryl Snee Surgical care practitioner, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, England
Luis Bruzual Consultant oral surgeon, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand how zygomatic complex fractures present in the emergency department

  • To learn the signs and symptoms that can alert you to a potential zygomatic complex fracture

  • To recognise when to refer patients presenting with midface trauma to the oral and maxillofacial team

Falls, assaults, road traffic accidents and sporting injuries are some of the common causes of facial bone fractures. Fractures to the zygomatic complex, or cheekbone, are one of the most common fractures to the facial skeleton. These fractures can be easily missed on assessment and examination and thus left undiagnosed. This can lead to aesthetic deformities to the facial region and, rarely, orbital compartment syndrome due to a retrobulbar haemorrhage or other ocular complications. Emergency department advanced nurse practitioners are usually the clinicians responsible for ensuring that patients with zygomatic complex fractures are screened, investigated and escalated appropriately. The aim of this article is to inform readers of the strategies and methods for diagnosing and managing patients with zygomatic complex fractures, including when these types of injuries need to be referred to the oral and maxillofacial team.

Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2021.e2098

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

alirizvi@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Rizvi A, Khan I, Snee D et al (2021) Zygomatic complex fractures in the emergency department: diagnosis and management. Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2021.e2098

Published online: 07 July 2021

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