Popliteal artery injury due to blunt trauma: delayed diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

The amputation rates due to popliteal artery injury in lower extremity traumas are quite high despite the appropriate treatment. The diagnosis of vascular injuries especially after blunt traumas of the extremities can be quite difficult in some cases, causing delayed treatment. Delayed diagnosis and treatment may cause neurological damage and loss of extremity [1,2].In this report, the successful delayed treatment of a popliteal artery injury due to blunt trauma following a traffic accident was presented. Neurological deficit related with delayed treatment and complications of compartment syndrome were discussed with reviewing the literature. Case PresentationA 30-year-old male patient admitted to the emergency department with complaints of pain, coldness and swelling of the left leg. In his history, he had a traffic accident the day before and internal fixation was performed due to left femur fracture at other hospital. The patient was transferred to our cardiovascular surgery clinic with complaints ABSTRACT 165Despite the appropriate treatment, the rate of amputation in popliteal artery injuries is still high in current practice. Hence, early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important in cases with such vascular injuries to save extremities. We present a 30-year-old male patient with popliteal artery injury, who had diagnosed 20 hours after internal fixation of the femoral fracture. He successfully underwent arterial repair.