A 61-year-old man sustained a left olecranon avulsion fracture after he tripped and fell, landing on his left elbow. His repair was complicated by staphylococcus aureus wound infection requiring removal of hardware, debridement and negative pressure wound therapy. A free ALT perforator flap based on the oblique branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery was used for soft tissue coverage once the infection was cleared. Two months after coverage active elbow flexion is 140° (range, 0° to 140°) ().
A 40-year-old male was a front seat passenger in a car involved in a road traffic accident. He sustained fractures of the left 1st to 6th ribs, a left sided pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, left scapula fracture, dislocation of the left little finger PIPJ as well as a crush injury of the left elbow with open fracture of the left humerus and proximal ulna. A chest tube was inserted and the little finger reduced. The elbow wound underwent debridement followed by external fixation and negative pressure dressing. Internal fixation of the humerus and ulna and soft tissue coverage with a free ALT flap were performed 13 days following injury. Nineteen months postoperatively active elbow motion was 115° (range, 15° to 130°) ().