The mechanisms of severe arterial injury in surgery of the hip joint.

Vascular accidents occurring in the course of hip surgery may reach potentially catastrophic dimensions by posing an immediate and sudden threat to life and limb. This is a report of 15 cases with severe arterial injury representing 0.2--0.3% of all reconstructive hip operations performed during an 8 year period. In 6 cases perforation of either the external iliac artery, the common femoral artery of main branches of the lateral and medial circumflex femoral artery were caused by the tip of a narrow-pointed Hohmann retractor used to expose the hip joint. Other mechanisms were: intimal tear with appositional thrombosis, probably caused by mechanical strain imposed on atherosclerotic arteries, giving rise to complete limb ischemia (2 cases); the dangers associated with the entry of bone cement through a defective acetabulum into the pelvis causing thrombotic occlusion due to polymerization heat (one case) or intimate adhesion of artificial bone to the external iliac artery subsequently being ripped open during replacement of the cup (one case); the increased hazards of replacing firmly embedded hip prosthesis (3 cases of direct arterial injury with chisel, knife and cutting edge of protruding bone); and the complications associated with the development of a false aneurysm (2 cases). Fourteen of the 15 extremities were salvaged. Above-knee amputation was unavoidable in one case owing to delay of vascular repair. There was no immediate operative mortality. Knowledge of the causative mechanisms prevents arterial injury during hip surgery. The relatively low rate of vascular complications in spite of vicinity of main vessels gives credit to the well standardized technique of hip surgery, especially hip replacement. However, it is suggested that the surgeon should be sufficiently acquainted with the exposure of the main vessels above and below the groin to be able to control life threatening hemorrhage at all times. A McBurney incision with retroperitoneal exposure and clamping of the external iliac artery will suffice to diminish bleeding considerably. Thereupon careful dissection and placement of snares around the common femoral artery, the arteria profunda femoris, and whenever necessary, the lateral or medial circumflex femoral artery will enable closure of the lacerated artery. For hemorrhage resulting during replacement of firmly embedded hip prosthesis it might become necessary to ligate the internal iliac artery. Reconstruction of obliterated arteries should call for the cooperation of the vascular surgeon for eventual angioplasty. Angiologic examination of the lower extremities is mandatory whenever severe arterial trauma has occurred in the course of hip surgery and is best performed by measuring the ankle blood pressure with a Doppler ultrasound probe.