Nickel allergy requiring plate removal after implantation of stainless steel and titanium plates after polytrauma

Abstract

The patient was a 23-year-old female involved in a motor vehicle collision. She sustained a left humerus fracture and a left posterior wall acetabular fracture, for which she underwent open reduction and internal fixation with stainless steel implants and titanium implants, respectively. At her postoperative visits, she had erythema and itching along the humeral incision. She returned to the operating room for revision fixation with a titanium implant and reported the resolution of her symptoms. Metal hypersensitivities (MHSs) resulting in surgical complications in orthopedic trauma are rare. Patients should be screened for a history of MHS before implant selection.

Keywords

• metal hypersensitivity
• nickel allergy
• polytrauma