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

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess the functional and patient-reported outcomes after the use of the internal joint stabilizer (IJS) for unstable terrible triad injuries. Specifically, we sought to determine our complication rate and the impact of complications on patient outcomes.

Methods

We identified all patients who had an IJS placed as a supplemental fixation for a terrible triad injury at two urban, level 1 academic medical centers. We reviewed these patients’ charts for demographic information, complication profiles, postoperative range of motion (ROM), and pain-level data. We also collected the QuickDASH and Patient-Rated Elbow Evaluation (PREE) scores. Descriptive statistics were reported. Final visit data were compared between patients who returned to the OR for a complication and those who did not.

Results

From 2018 to 2020, 29 patients had an IJS placed for a terrible triad injury. The median final follow-up was 6.3 months after surgery (IQR: 6.2 months). There were 38 complications in 19 patients (65.5%) that required 12 patients to return to the OR (41.3%) for procedures beyond simple IJS removal. There were no significant differences in the ROM between patients who returned to the OR for a complication and those who did not. QuickDASH and PREE scores were greater (indicating more disability) in patients who had a complication that required a secondary surgical procedure.

Conclusions

Patients who receive an IJS incur a high rate of complications. When patients sustain complications that require secondary surgeries, their ultimate functional outcome scores worsen.

Type of study/level of evidence

Therapeutic IV.