THE CASE

An 80-year-old male was admitted with a complex fracture of the right shoulder joint (proximal humerus). He had osteoporosis with severe intractable pain. He was advised Shoulder Replacement Surgery elsewhere for which he did not agree. He wanted a fully mobile, pain-free shoulder joint but not at the cost of replacing his normal shoulder with an artificial joint.

THE PROCEDURE

Dr. Prakash Doshi, Director of Trauma & Orthopaedics in Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, along with his able trauma team, performed a surgery where the head of humerus was preserved. A minimal invasive approach was used and the fractured head of humerus was stabilised with a specialised titanium MultiLoc nail.

THE RESULT Post-operation, the patient had no plaster cast – just a cuff and collar sling to support his operated shoulder. His pain was minimal and the rehabilitation programme was started on the 3rd day. He was already performing simple pendular movements in the first week itself. At the end of 10-12 weeks, he had a fully functional, pain-free shoulder joint.

Dr. Prakash Doshi
Director of Trauma &
Orthopaedics
Nanavati Super Speciality
Hospital, Mumbai

Multiloc Nailing was first performed at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital few years back, probably the first-of-itskind in the country This is performed by MIS (Minimal Invasive Surgery) which helps in achieving early function within a short period This procedure salvages the shoulder joint by avoiding a replacement surgery even in the most complex shoulder fractures This nail is widely used in Europe and Asia-Pacific countries like Japan, Singapore and China – where it is commonly known as a “Christmas Tree Nail”