Popliteal Artery Injuries

Abstract

It is unfortunate but true that in a world of wars, high speed travel and civilian violence, the repair of major injuries to the vascular system has become an important part of the surgeon's work. At present, injuries of the popliteal artery have the highest amputation rate of all injuries to peripheral arteries. Despite the introduction of techniques of vascular repair during the Korean Conflict, the rate of amputation remained nearly 32 percent! In the Vietnam Conflict the amputation rate has remained virtually unchanged—about 32 percent. In a civilian series, Conkle and colleagues1(1975) documented an amputation rate of about 44 percent. At our institution, we use a temporary shunt to reduce ischemic time in the operating room.