Management of Arterial and Venous Injuries in the Dislocated Knee

Abstract

Vascular injury is present in 30% of dislocated knees and continues to account for significant morbidity. Popliteal artery injury results in a disproportionate number of amputations compared with other extremity arterial injuries. The vascular anatomy and mechanism of injury are reviewed here. A high index of suspicion and systematic evaluation for vascular injury associated with knee dislocation are required to ensure correct diagnosis. Early recognition of vascular injury, prompt restoration of flow, and use of proven adjuncts provides the optimal possibility of limb salvage of popliteal artery injuries associated with knee dislocations.

Knee Dislocation in Overweight Patients

“…In the literature, dislocation of the knee has been reported to occur mainly as a result of highenergy trauma or contactsportrelat ed trauma [1,2,4,6,8,10]. Single case re ports of lowenergy knee dislocation in obese patients have been published [11,12].…”

“…omplete dislocation of the knee is an uncommon trauma [1,2]. Because of the potentially severe neurovascular damage, knee dis location can be limbthreatening [2][3][4], and it is important to make the correct diagnosis without delay.…”

“…omplete dislocation of the knee is an uncommon trauma [1,2]. Because of the potentially severe neurovascular damage, knee dis location can be limbthreatening [2][3][4], and it is important to make the correct diagnosis without delay. Often conventional radiography is not diagnostic because of spontaneous re duction, making the diagnosis difficult [5][6][7].…”

“…Dislocation of the knee usually results from highenergy trauma such as motorcycle and motor vehicle accidents or a sportsrelat ed injury [1,2,4,6,8,10]. However, if the knee dislocation is due to an unusual cause, such as a simple fall in an obese patient [11,12], the correct diagnosis may be more dif ficult to make.…”