Acute Surgical Management of Vascular Injuries in Hip and Knee Arthroplasties.

Abstract

With an increasing number of total hip and knee arthroplasties being done at surgical centers and vascular surgeons often not immediately available in this setting, it is critical for orthopaedic surgeons to be comfortable with the acute surgical management of vascular injuries. Although they are fortunately uncommon in primary total hip and knee arthroplasties, damage to a major artery or vein can have potentially devastating consequences. Surgeons operating both in a hospital and an ambulatory surgical setting should be familiar with techniques to gain proximal control of massive bleeding because the principles can be helpful in primary and revision arthroplasties. In this study, we review the vascular anatomy around the hip and knee and the surgical management of these potentially catastrophic complications.