Vascular Complications of Orthopaedic Surgery

¹ St. Catherine Hospital, 4312 Fir Street, East Chicago, Indiana 46312
² 737 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611

During a four-year period, three patients with major vascular complications as a direct result of an orthopaedic operation were treated. These traumatic vascular injuries consisted in an arteriovenous fistula between the right common iliac artery and vein following intervertebral disc surgery, a false aneurysm of the right popliteal artery secondary to a medial meniscectomy, and a huge false aneurysm of the left common femoral artery complicating a hip-pinning procedure.

This experience demonstrated that there is usually a long delay in the recognition of these lesions. Early diagnosis through close observation and immediate repair of the traumatized vessels will make the repair relatively simple and less risky.

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