Salvage of shoulder joint through simplification of wound management

Infection is a common sequela of open dislocation of the shoulder joint. This typically leads to joint surface and humeral head necrosis, resulting in severe limitation of motion. Few cases of open and infected glenohumeral joints have been reported, and none had a good functional outcome with pain-free, near-full range of motion. Here we report the case of a 24-year-old man, who sustained a severe degloving injury of his left shoulder with an open glenohumeral joint, in a road traffic accident. We describe a treatment plan that salvaged near-full range of shoulder motion and resulted in pain-free active and passive movements.