A floating elbow and an associated ipsilateral proximal humerus fracture: A case report.
Malick Diop, Mayoro Sow, Mohamed Daffé, Badara Dembele, Badara Diop, Khadim Seck, Andre Daniel Sane
Abstract
Open AccessWe aim to describe this rare injury and evaluate the surgical treatment. Floating elbow is a relatively rare traumatic entity. It occurs following a high-velocity trauma and is part of a polytrauma. There is no consensus on its management which remains essentially surgical. They often have a favorable outcome. We report the case of a 20-year-old patient who presented following a road traffic accident with a floating elbow associated with an ipsilateral proximal humerus fracture. The treatment was surgical. An open reduction and internal fixation with a dual plating of the humerus and pinning of the forearm bones was carried out. At 10 months follow-up, the ASES score was 78. Rehabilitation was started early. The prognosis of this lesion is essentially functional.