Necessity of radiographs in the emergency department management of shoulder dislocations.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the necessity of radiographs in the emergency department management of patients with suspected shoulder dislocation.

METHODS: A prospective, observational study was conducted at a university-affiliated, Level I trauma center ED with an emergency medicine residency program. Physicians entered all patients with a suspected shoulder dislocation and reported whether they were certain that the patient's shoulder was dislocated or reduced, before obtaining radiographs. Outcome measures were the assessments of joint position and the radiology reports of prereduction and postreduction films.

RESULTS: One hundred four patients were enrolled in the study, including 98 with shoulder dislocations, and 191 physician assessments were performed (96 prereduction, 95 postreduction). Twenty-eight patients had recurrent dislocations with an atraumatic mechanism (group 1), and 76 had no prior dislocation or a blunt mechanism of injury (group 2). There were no fractures in group 1 patients; the accuracy of confident assessments was 100% (95% confidence interval 92% to 100%). In group 2, the accuracy of confident assessments was 98% (95% confidence interval 94% to 100%). Incorrect assessments occurred only in patients with fractures. A derived algorithm would have reduced radiographs by 51%.

CONCLUSION: Physicians are highly accurate in the clinical determination of shoulder dislocation and relocation. Radiographs should be obtained when the physician is uncertain of dislocation or reduction. Prereduction films should be obtained for patients with a blunt traumatic mechanism of injury, and postreduction for those found to have a fracture-dislocation. However, postreduction films add little in patients without fractures, and neither prereduction nor postreduction films are likely to affect the ED management of patients with recurrent dislocation by an atraumatic mechanism. Prospective validation of the derived algorithm is suggested.