Short-Term Patient Outcomes After Placement of an Internal Joint Stabilizer for Terrible Triad Injuries: A...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Trauma surgery
• Upper extremity reconstruction

Background:

• Unstable terrible triad elbow injuries require advanced stabilization techniques.
• The internal joint stabilizer (IJS) is used as supplemental fixation for these complex injuries.
• Assessing outcomes and complications associated with IJS is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate functional and patient-reported outcomes following IJS use for terrible triad elbow injuries.
• To determine the complication rate associated with IJS.
• To analyze the impact of complications on patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patients undergoing IJS for terrible triad injuries at two Level 1 trauma centers.
• Data collected included demographics, complications, range of motion (ROM), pain, QuickDASH, and Patient-Rated Elbow Evaluation (PREE) scores.
• Comparison of outcomes between patients requiring return to OR for complications versus those who did not.

Main Results:

• 29 patients received IJS for terrible triad injuries between 2018-2020.
• A high complication rate of 65.5% was observed, with 41.3% requiring return to the OR.
• No significant difference in ROM, but worse QuickDASH and PREE scores were noted in patients with complications requiring secondary surgery.

Conclusions:

• The use of IJS for terrible triad elbow injuries is associated with a high incidence of complications.
• Complications requiring further surgical intervention significantly worsen functional outcomes and patient-reported scores.