Acute popliteal thrombus following total knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Introduction: We report the youngest documented patient (38 years old) to develop an acute popliteal artery thrombus following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patient Concerns: The patient presented for an elective TKA secondary to posttraumatic arthritis. Past medical history included a tibial plateau fracture, two knee arthroscopies and an elevated body mass index (37.53). A right TKA was performed with no intraoperative complications. Two hours postoperatively, the right foot was poikilothermic and lacking dorsalis pedal pulse. Diagnosis: Popliteal artery thrombus confirmed by angiogram and venous duplex. Interventions: Immediate vascular surgery consult and subsequent embolectomy. Outcomes: At 1 year postoperatively, the patient is doing well with no further complications. Conclusion: Due to the lack of significant past medical history putting this patient at risk, future research should focus on prior trauma, age, and BMI as risk factors, specifically in patients undergoing TKA.

Acute Popliteal Artery Thrombotic Occlusion Post Total Knee Arthroplasty in a Patient With Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Report of a Rare Complication

“…Atherosclerotic vessels are narrow, stiff and more prone to injury during manipulation. Other risk factors include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal failure, obesity, cancer and previous carotid, coronary aortic disease, renal failure, and coagulopathy [ 5 , 11 , 16 ]. Previous knee surgeries were also shown to increase the risk of popliteal artery injury [ 11 , 25 ].…”

“…The overall complications following TKA are rare with an incidence rate ranging from 1.65 to 11.3% [ 3 , 4 ]. Some of the common complications after TKA include infection, dislocation, fracture, and deep venous thrombosis [ 5 , 6 ]. Vascular injury is a very rare complication with a reported incidence of 0.03-0.17% [ 7 ].…”

Acute Arterial Embolization Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

“…For patients with peripheral artery disease, the TKA operation should be performed gently to avoid vascular injury, paying particular attention to the use of a tourniquet [12]. The use of a tourniquet during TKA can effectively reduce the amount of blood loss and reveal the surgical visual field more clearly [13].…”