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Novel technique may be a viable option for hip dislocation management in the emergency department
Hendey GW. Ann Emerg Med. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2011.07.010
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A novel technique – the so-called “Captain Morgan” technique in which a physician places his or her knee behind a supine patient’s flexed knee and lifts with anterior force, with rotation as needed — should be considered as a primary technique for acute management of hip dislocation in the emergency department, according to a study from researchers in California.
The research team investigated medical records of each hip dislocation patient treated in their emergency department for a 4-year span, recording demographics, reduction technique, disposition, outcome and whether the patient had a prosthetic hip. These characteristics were reported for the full study cohort, including the subset of patients upon which the technique was used.
Seventy-seven patients with a mean age of 46 years met the inclusion criteria for the study. Thirty-five (45%) of the patients had a prosthetic hip, with 67 (87%) receiving a successful reduction within the emergency department. The technique was used on 13 patients and successful in 12 patients (92%), with the lone technique failure occurring in a patient who displayed acetabular fracture with an intra-articular fragment that required open reduction.
“There were no described neurovascular complications or injuries to the knee,” the authors wrote.