Popliteal arterial injuries associated with fractures or dislocations about the knee as a result of blunt trauma.

A total of 73 patients with popliteal arterial injuries due to blunt trauma were treated at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center between January 1975 and January 1986. The injuries resulted from high-energy trauma (70% were motor-vehicle-related), and were associated with a variety of fractures and dislocations about the knee. Forty-eight of the patients (66%) had open injuries, 27% of which became infected; the infection rate for all injuries was 22%. The average time from injury to anastomosis was 14.6 hours. The overall amputation rate in the series was 15%. Ten of the 11 amputations were associated with open, type III fractures. The amputation rate did not correlate with type of fracture, delay in diagnosis, or delay in surgery of up to 24 hours, but was directly related to the degree of soft-tissue trauma.