Management of concomitant ipsilateral fractures of the humerus and forearm

We treated nineteen patients with concomitant ipsilateral fractures of the humerus and forearm resulting in a so-called floating elbow. The injuries that were treated without open reduction and internal fixation had a high incidence of non-union of the humerus. This has led us to prefer open reduction and internal fixation of both the humerus and the forearm fracture.