Compound Dislocation of the Knee with Popliteal Artery Injury

Abstract

Compound dislocation of the knee associated with laceration of the popliteal artery is an unusual injury and one which frequently results in amputation or disability due to arterial insufficiency. We are fortunate in having treated such a case with a successful outcome and we feel that the management of this patient is worth reviewing since success in such a case seems dependent on attention to each detail. Our patient was a 28-year-old man, who entered Cook County Hospital four hours after a tractor trailer had run over his right knee. He was in severe pain and mild shock; blood loss from his wound was not remarkable. Examination of the leg revealed the lateral condyle of the femur to be protruding through the skin below the knee, and the leg below this was cold, pulseless, and anesthetic. An x-ray (Figure) revealed a posterolateral dislocation of the femur on the tibia. Spinal