[Nursemaid's elbow: diagnosis and treatment in emergency department].

INTRODUCTION

Painful pronation (PD), also known as "nursemaid's elbow", is a common injury caused by abrupt longitudinal traction of the hand while the forearm is pronated and the elbow extended.

OBJECTIVE

to describe a sample of patients diagnosed with painful pronation and the different reduction tech niques used for this pathology.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: retrospective study of patients who visited the emergency department of a referral hospital, from January 2018 to September 2019. Patients under 7 years of age consulting due to a condition compatible with PD were included. We recorded demogra phic data, sex, and age, number of previous episodes (defining recurrent as three or more episodes), affected extremity, mechanism of injury, diagnostic images, reduction maneuver used, and success obtained measured through the presence of "click" and decrease in pain. Patients who presented any sign of trauma or fractures were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

172 patients were included, 57.6% were female, and a median age of 25.5 months. The most affected side was the left one and the main mechanism was traction of the extremity, followed by a same-level fall. The hyperpronation method was effective in 66% of the cases, and the remaining 34% required a supination maneuver.

CONCLUSIONS

PD is a frequent reason for consultation in pediatric patients around the age of 2 years. The hyperpronation method was the most commonly used for its management. It is important to be aware of this pathology in the context of emergency care.