Compartment Syndrome, Femoral Nerve Lesion and Recurrent Haemarthrosis in one and the same Patient after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

We present a case of a 53 year old patient that underwent total knee arthroplasty in our hospital for degenerative arthritis and developed a series of very uncommon complications. Compartment syndrome of the calf occurred postoperatively as a result of bleeding from a large, ruptured knee joint cyst. Femoral nerve lesion was diagnosed and was most likely the result of traumatic migration of the femoral nerve catheter in the nerve sheet. Finally, our patient suffered from recurrent haemarthrosis in which anticoagulant therapy is thought to have played a key role.This series of very uncommon complications occurring in one and the same patient stresses the importance for orthopaedic surgeons to continuously and carefully monitor their patients postoperatively in order to adequately diagnose complications, also the rare ones, and to take appropriate measurements to minimize dramatic outcomes of these complications.