Limb amputation among patients with surgically treated popliteal arterial injury: analysis of 15 years of experience in an urban trauma center in Cali, Colombia

Reduced Time to Surgery and Prophylactic Fasciotomy May Result in Improved Outcomes in Popliteal Artery Injuries

BACKGROUND

Popliteal artery injuries are uncommon and often result in limb loss or long-term limb dysfunction. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the association between predictors and outcomes and (2) to validate the rational of systematic early fasciotomy.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 122 patients (80% men, n = 100) who underwent surgery for popliteal artery injuries from October 2018 to March 2021 in southern Vietnam. Primary outcomes included primary and secondary amputation. The associations between predictors and primary amputation were analyzed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Among the 122 patients, 11 (9%) underwent primary amputation, while 2 (1.6%) had secondary amputation. Longer time to surgery was associated with increased odds of amputation (odds ratio = 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.2 for every 6 hr). Severe limb ischemia was also associated with a 50-fold increase in the risk of primary amputation (adjusted odds ratio = 49.9; 95% confidence interval, 6 to 418, P = 0.001). Furthermore, 11 patients (9%) without signs of severe limb ischemia and acute compartment syndrome on admission were found to have myonecrosis of at least one muscle compartment during fasciotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that among patients with popliteal artery injuries, prolonged time before surgery and severe limb ischemia are associated with increased risk of primary amputation, whereas early fasciotomy may lead to improved outcomes.

The Role of Endovascular Repair of Popliteal Arterial Injuries in the Acute Setting

OBJECTIVES

The role of endovascular surgery in the treatment of popliteal arterial injuries is not well established. As with other popliteal pathology, open repair has traditionally been considered the gold standard. As data has accumulated and technology advanced, however, a reassessment of the role of endovascular surgery is warranted. The aim of this study is to perform a noninferiority comparison of open versus endovascular management of traumatic popliteal injuries. Our hypothesis is that endovascular management is noninferior to open management of traumatic popliteal injuries.

METHODS

The National Trauma Data Bank was searched for adult patients from 2002-2016 for isolated popliteal arterial injury. The study used a standard noninferiority methodology to compare rates of amputation and compartment syndrome between endovascular and open surgery. Margins for noninferiority were established using established published rates of complications: 17.1% for amputations and 23.0% for compartment syndrome. Endovascular intervention would be considered noninferior to open surgery if the lower bound confidence of the complication proportion (endo/open complication rate) was greater than the pre-defined noninferiority margin.

RESULTS

3698 patients met inclusion criteria, with blunt injury accounting for 2117 (57%) and penetrating injury accounting for 1581 (43%). Within the blunt group, 1976 (93.3%) underwent open and 141 (6.7%) endovascular surgery. The rate of compartment syndrome (percentage and 95% confidence interval) after surgery for open repair was 9.9 (8.6-11.2) and 6.4 (3.2-11.3) for endovascular repair. The complication proportion is 64.6 (59.7-69.5). The rate of amputation for open repair was 15.7 (14.2-17.4) and 14.2 (9.2-20.6) for endovascular repair. The complication proportion is 90.4 (87.4-93.4). Within the penetrating group, 1525 (96.5%) underwent open repair and 56 (3.5%) endovascular surgery. The rate of compartment syndrome after surgery for open repair was 14.9 (13.2-16.7) and 5.4 (1.5-13.6) for endovascular repair. The complication proportion is 36.2 (31.3-41.1). The rate of amputation for open repair was 4.3 (3.3-5.4) and 3.6 (0.7-11.0) for endovascular repair. The complication proportion is 83.7 (75.3-90.6).

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that endovascular repair of popliteal artery injury may be noninferior to open repair with respect to limb preservation . Further examination of endovascular repair in popliteal artery injury is warranted.

Revisiting Management Strategies for Popliteal Artery Injuries

BACKGROUND

Popliteal artery injuries (PAIs) were reported to own the highest rates of limb loss in vascular injuries of extremities. The complex nature of PAIs makes the treatment more difficult. We aimed to present our cases using our proposed algorithm and revisit the strategies for management.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of 45 cases with PAIs managed at the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital over a 10-year period was conducted. The proposed algorithm for decision making was applied, which contains variables including the interval before surgery, the revascularization being delayed or not, the presence of fasciotomy, the acquisition of preoperative angiography, and the existence of collateral circulation. Whether the injured limbs were salvaged successfully avoiding amputation was recorded.

RESULTS

Of all the included 45 patients, the rate of a successful salvage of the injured limb from amputation was 71.1%. Six patients did not receive revascularization because of their poor conditions of the injured limbs. In terms of limb salvage in PAIs, the interval before surgery, the revascularization being delayed or not, the presence of fasciotomy, or the acquisition of preoperative angiography did not make a significant difference (P > 0.05). Instead, an existence of collateral circulation at the distal injured limb was correlated to a significant higher rate of salvage, regardless of having revascularization or not (P = 0.001 and < 0.001, respectively). Seven patients had the injured vessels repaired directly and all were prevented from amputation. In other patients who underwent vascular repair using a graft, vein graft (n = 20) showed a higher successful rate in salvage significantly than Gore-Tex graft (n = 9, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Collateral circulation determines much of the fate of limb salvage in PAIs. As a result, a delayed revascularization could be accepted as long as there is existence of collateral circulation at the distal injured limb. An autologous vein graft is favored when a direct repair is not able to be performed for revascularization. Although fasciotomy was not found to be associated with a successful salvage in this study, its importance could not be neglected and it should be performed when there is an observed or impending compartment syndrome.

Endovascular versus open repair of isolated superficial femoral and popliteal artery injuries

OBJECTIVE

Despite the increasing use of endovascular therapy for traumatic arterial injuries, little is known about the outcomes of endovascular repair of superficial femoral artery (SFA) and popliteal artery (PA) injuries. In the present study, we compared the characteristics and outcomes of endovascular vs open repair of traumatic SFA and PA injuries.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective National Trauma Data Bank analysis of trauma patients with a blunt or penetrating injury of the SFA and/or PA who had undergone endovascular or open repair from 2007 to 2014. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the outcomes, with propensity score matching used for sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

The incidence of SFA and PA injuries was 0.2%, with an overall increase in the annual use of endovascular stent repair from 3.2% in 2007 to 7.6% in 2014 (P = .002). A total of 2,873 patients with an isolated SFA and/or PA injury were included in the present study, of whom 163 (5.7%) had undergone endovascular repair. SFA injuries were more frequently treated with endovascular repair (70% vs 27%) and PA injuries were more often associated with open repair (41.1% vs 54.7%). Open repair was more frequently associated with a concomitant femur fracture or knee dislocation (30.7% vs 38.8%; P = .039). Endovascular repair was not associated with worse in-hospital amputation-free survival (AFS) compared with open repair on univariate analysis (91.1% vs 89.7%; P = .573) or multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio [OR], 1.053; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.551-2.012; P = .876). Propensity score matching revealed that in-hospital mortality was higher (OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.37-9.82; P = .01) and fasciotomy was lower (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.14-0.37; P < .001) in the endovascular repair group, with no significant differences in AFS (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.48-1.67; P = .65).

CONCLUSIONS

Endovascular repair of SFA and PA injuries has in-hospital AFS comparable to that for open repair, supporting the increasing use of endovascular repair for traumatic SFA and PA injuries in appropriately selected cases. Given the unexpected finding of increased in-hospital mortality after endovascular repair, further studies are necessary to determine the appropriate patient selection and the durability of endovascular repair.

Comparison of traditional vascular reconstruction with covered stent in the treatment of subclavian artery injury

PURPOSE

To explore the significance of traditional vascular reconstruction and covered stent for limb salvage after subclavian artery injury.

METHODS

Patients with subclavian artery injury admitted to Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2010 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All the injuries have been confirmed by intraoperative exploration, computed tomography angiography or digital subtraction angiography. Complete or partial amputation injuries were excluded. Mild artery defect or partial intimal damage was treated by interventional implantation, while other patients received open surgeries, including direct suture of small defect less than 2 cm and transplantation with autologous vein or artificial blood when the defect was more than 2 cm. Patients were divided into open surgery group and stent implantation group based on the treatment they received. Patients were followed up at 2 weeks (first stage) and 6 months (second stage) after operation to investigate limb salvage. Student's t-test was used to compare the general data between two groups and Chi-square test to analyze the rate of limb salvage.

RESULTS

Altogether 50 cases of subclavian artery injury were treated, including 36 cases of open surgery and 14 cases of stent implantation. Combination of nerve injury was observed in 27 cases (75.0%) in open surgery group and 12 cases (85.7%) in stent implantation group. Amputation developed in 3 cases with open surgery and 1 case with stent implantation. Consequently the rate of successful limb salvage was respectively 91.7% (33/36) and 92.9% (13/14), revealing no significant difference (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Rapid reconstruction of blood circulation is crucial following subclavian artery injury, no matter what kinds of treatment strategies have been adopted. Interventional stent implantation can achieve a good effect for limb salvage.