Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria are very rare, and results of treatment can be unpredictable. A 72-year-old female underwent hip replacement after an accidental fall in a local hospital in Santo Domingo. The postoperative period was uneventful except for a traumatic wound near the surgical scar. PJI caused by Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus was diagnosed 6 months later. A two-stage reimplantation was performed after a 3-month period of aetiology-directed therapy, including amikacin, imipenem, and clarithromycin. M. abscessus isolate was reported to be resistant to clarithromycin when incubation was protracted for 14 days and to harbour the gene erm(41). The patient manifested major side effects to tigecycline. At reimplant, microbiologic investigations resulted negative. Overall, medical treatment was continued for a 7-month period. When discontinued and at 6-month follow-up, the patient was clinically well, inflammatory markers were normal, and the radiography showed well-positioned prosthesis. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus is a very rare cause of PJI, yet it must be included in the differential diagnosis, especially when routine bacteria cultures are reported being negative. Further investigations are needed to determine any correlations between clinical results and in vitro susceptibility tests, as well as the clinical implications of M. abscessus subsp. abscessus harbouring the functional gene erm(41). Moreover, investigations are needed for determine optimal timings of surgery and lengths of medical therapy to improve patient outcome.

Proximal humeral fracture-dislocation associated with neurovascular injury is rare events, associated with poorer outcomes and higher risk of complications. A multidisciplinary approach including the orthopaedic and vascular department is essential in treating such kind of injury. The goal of the treatment is to restore the vascular supply and stabilize the fracture. Usually the orthopaedic surgical stabilization provides a stable substrate for the vascular repair. We report a case of 70 years old woman who sustained a 4 part proximal humerus fracture-dislocation with vascular injury at the level of the transition of the subclavian into axillary artery. Because of the impending severe limb ischemia, the priority of the treatment was given to vascular surgical intervention with a by-pass procedure. After 14 days a reverse shoulder prosthesis was thought to be the best alternative in the second stage surgery. At 18 months follow-up we achieved good clinical and radiological outcomes. Although a lack of consensus on the priority of treatments, we achieved good result following our proposed algorithm of treatment.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a multifactorial compression neuropathy. It is reported to be very common and rising globally. CTS’s treatment varies from conservative measures to surgical treatments. Surgery has shown to be an effective method for more severe cases. However few unclear aspects and room for further research and improvements still remains. We performed a narrative literature review on the most up to date progress and innovation in terms of surgical treatments for CTS. The simple algorithm of leaving the choice of the surgical method to surgeons’ preference and experience (together with consideration of patients’ related factors) seem to be the best available option, which is supported by the most recent metanalysis and systematic reviews. We suggest that surgeons (unless in presence of precise indications towards endoscopic release) should tend to perform a minimally invasive open approach release, favoring the advantage of a better neurovascular structures visualization (and a consequent higher chance to perform a complete release with long term relief of symptoms) instead of favoring an early reduction (in the first postoperative days) of immobilization and pain. Research towards a universally accepted standardization should be aimed for by the researchers, who have failed to date to sufficiently limit bias and limitations.

As life expectation is prolonged and the elderly population increases, we are witnessing a growth in the number of prosthesis implanted; therefore, an increase in interprosthetic femoral fractures can be expected in the next future. For this reason, a proper and specific classification system needs to be. Nowadays, depending on the localization of the fracture, Vancouver or Rorabeck classifications are used, and some attempts have been made to create a new one or adjust and adapt the previously mentioned systems. However, there is no unique classification system that is accepted worldwide. The goal would be a classification that permits identifying the correct surgical treatment based on the type of interprosthetic femoral fracture. A pragmatic grading scale to provide a standardised approach, so that the best possible outcomes could be achieved. Despite minimal diffusion, in our opinion the Pires classification system should be universally accepted and used.

Interprosthetic humeral fractures (IHFs) are severe injury patterns associated with surgical issues and contradictory results. The knowledge and literature on this topic are still lacking. A 76 year-old woman was treated for a fracture occurred between the shoulder and elbow stemmed prosthesis. Severe bone loss was associated with the fracture. Treatment: Open reduction, plate fixation, and bone grafting were considered. A xenograft (used as a mechanical strut medially), a synthetic graft associated with bone growth factors, and scaffolds improved the bone healing process. Satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes were obtained. A scoping review of the literature was also performed by the authors. Only eight papers reported IHFs with a low level of evidence. In total, eight patients were treated; one paper that reported on biomechanical aspects using finite element analysis is discussed. Conservative treatment leads to non-union, and the surgical approach is the gold standard. The osteosynthesis technique associated with bone grafting leads to the best outcomes. The use of a xenograft mechanical strut, associated with synthetic biological bone grafting, led to complete bone union at 9 months follow-up. Larger cohorts, more standardised results, and multicentric studies are mandatory in order to improve and establish a management and treatment algorithm.