ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of a 21-year-old man who arrived at the Emergency Department with his friend, bent over, holding the injured right arm flexed at the elbow and supported with his left hand. This patient has an anterior dislocation of the shoulder. Dislocations of the glenohumeral joint occur when a large force is applied to the joint, tearing the stabilising joint capsule and the surrounding tissues. Anterior dislocation is easily confirmed on the radiograph, but posterior dislocations are sometimes missed due to the subtle signs on anteroposterior (AP) projection – there is a characteristic 'light bulb' appearance of the humeral head. If the patient requires additional analgesia or chooses sedation, the patient must be moved to the resuscitation room, and a practitioner trained in sedation using appropriate monitoring must carry out the sedation whilst a second clinician carries out the reduction.
