An exceptional challenging case: Anterior shoulder dislocation with ipsilateral humeral shaft fracture complicated with an upper extremity compartment syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Combination of shoulder dislocation with ipsilateral shaft humeral fracture is extremely rare and the occurrence of upper extremity compartment syndrome as a complication is even rarer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old male, sustained a road traffic accident as a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. He was diagnosed with an anterior dislocation of the right shoulder with an ipsilateral open transverse fracture of the middle third of the humeral shaft. He was treated with closed reduction and Hackethal bundle nailing. The next day, the patient developed acute compartment syndrome and underwent multiple fasciotomy. DISCUSSION: This particular combination represents a great surgical challenge in orthopedics and there is no clear consensus until now regarding its management. We review the mechanism and the appropriate treatment of this injury. CONCLUSION: We think it is critical to emphasize the original character of our case, because it is probably the first report to describe this special injury associated with upper extremity compartment syndrome.