Epidermolysis Bullosa: A Case of Successful Total Hip Arthroplasty

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare dermatological disease in which patients suffer from skin fragility and blisters. One of the major complications is the development of skin infections, which may preclude surgical intervention. We present a case of a 49-year-old female with a past medical history of EB, who presented to the emergency department (ED) with right groin pain of one-hour duration after falling on her right side. The patient underwent a successful open reduction and internal fixation for her right hip without complications. Over the course of three months after the procedure, she experienced worsening of the pain accompanied by skin necrosis and total collapse of the femoral head. Subsequent total hip replacement surgery was performed using a cementless (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN) prosthesis and fixated via cannulated screws. To decrease the risk of infection, IV cefazolin was given as a prophylactic antibiotic preoperatively. Vancomycin IV and imipenem/cilastatin IV were given for four days postoperatively. We made sure that our patient is experiencing the least possible pain by giving sufficient analgesics after the surgery. We used morphine, paracetamol, and gabapentin for pain control. For 25 days after the surgery, the patient did not complain of any pain. Upon follow-up, sutures were removed, and no surgical wound infection, rashes, or lacerations were noted. We encourage orthopedic surgeons dealing with patients suffering from dermatological conditions with fragile skin such as EB and decreased level of activity that requires total hip arthroplasty to proceed with the surgical intervention after considering adequate infection control to improve quality of life.