Management of Popliteal Artery Trauma: Experience of Lattakia University Hospital in Lattakia between 2018-2022

Abstract

The percentage of arterial injuries arriving at the hospital, regardless of their type and location, has increased, particularly popliteal artery injuries resulting from traffic accidents or other various causes. This is due to the development of first aid methods, starting from the site of the injury and continuing through to hospital management.

This type of injury can be fatal to a large extent before reaching the hospital, especially in the absence of emergency medical expertise. Other equally important outcomes in the hospital are related to the speed and quality of surgery and the presence of other, equally dangerous, non-arterial injuries.

Surgical techniques have varied in global studies depending on the severity and location of the injury, ranging from direct suturing of the artery to the use of venous grafts, anatomical or extra-anatomical artificial grafts. However, there are cases where the decision to amputate was made quickly on the operating table.

Popliteal artery bruises differ from other bruises in their frequency and severity (mortality rate up to 4-5%) and (amputation rate up to 30-40%).

In this study, we sought to briefly explain the principles of surgical treatment for popliteal artery bruises. We compared our study with several international studies related to different surgical procedures and their success rates, as well as the importance of the presence of other accompanying injuries and their role in influencing the surgical results. We studied 69 selective patients who were treated at Lattakia University Hospital during the period between 2018 and 2022.