Bilateral floating knee: An exceptional injury

Abstract

Presentation, in the samepatient, of bilateral floating knee is exceptional, and in principle,has never been published. We report the case of a patient withmultiple fractures whose four diaphyseal fractures were treatedsurgically with intramedullary nailing in the same operativesession.2. Case reportThe patient, a 20-year-old bricklayer, was the victim of a roadtraffic accident involving collision of his motorbike with a lightvehicle on 23 February 2008 at 5 p.m. He was transferred byhelicopter by the emergency services to our hospital at 7.40 p.m.Assessment of his injuries found head injury without loss ofconsciousness, and bilateral closed diaphyseal fractures of thefemur and both leg bones, without associated neurovascularlesions [Fig. 1A and B]. He also presented articular fracture of theright knee, and abdominal contusion. The full-body CT scanconfirmedfractureoftheleftkidneywithoutassociatedvisceralorbone lesions. The Injury Severity Score of 48 confirmed poly-trauma.