Traumatic open brachial plexus injuries: The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration

Abstract

Open traumatic brachial plexus injuries are rare, yet can be life threatening and require rapid clinic assessment. Early interdisciplinary collaboration is critical to achieve superior patient outcomes. This case of a 24-year-old female of a traumatic neck injury with contralateral brachial plexus injury demonstrates the limitations of early clinical assessment due to the potential for haemodynamic instability and highlights the priority of patient stabilisation. Early and active interdisciplinary collaboration in this case demonstrates its importance in accurate diagnosis and timely intervention to achieve better patient outcomes. As published in recent guidelines, this report shows the importance of early interdisciplinary involvement following stabilisation and resuscitation of the patient.

Keywords

• Brachial plexus
• Open injury
• Multidisciplinary collaboration