Periarticular Blast Wounds Without Fracture: A Prospective Case Series

Background: During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq most injuries to service members involved the musculoskeletal system. These wounds often occurred around joints, and in some cases result in traumatic arthrotomy -- a diagnosis that is not always clear, especially when there is no concomitant articular fracture. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of peri-articular blast injuries without fracture. Methods The study cohort included 12 consecutive patients (12 involved extremities) who sustained extremity periarticular blast wounds without fractures. The diagnosis of penetrating articular injury was based on clinical examination, radiographic findings, or aspiration. A periarticular wound was defined as any wound, or radio-opaque blast fragment, within 5 cm of a joint. The New Injury Severity Score (NISS) was calculated for each patient. Four patients had upper, and 8 patients had lower extremity injuries. Nine of 12 patients had joint capsular penetration and underwent joint irrigation and debridement. Results Two patients had retained intra-articular metal fragments. One patient had soft tissue blast wounds within 5 cm of a joint but did not have joint capsule penetration. There were no significant differences (p = 0.23) between the distribution of wounds to upper versus lower extremities. However, there were a significantly greater number blast injuries attributed to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) than from other blast mechanisms (p = 0.01). Conclusion Extremity blast injuries in the vicinity of joints involving only soft tissues present a unique challenge in surgical management. A high index of suspicion should be maintained for joint capsular penetration so that intra-articular injuries may be appropriately treated.