Popliteal artery injuries. Less ischemic time may lead to improved outcomes

Our experience with blast and gunshot induced traumatic vascular injuries at Somalia's major vascular referral center

Blast and gunshot-induced penetrating traumatic vascular injuries represent a significant portion of patients with vascular trauma in countries where there are higher rates of war-related violence. These injuries are especially challenging in resource-limited countries due to early diagnosis and transfer delays. This report aimed to present our experience regarding the surgical management and outcome of such injuries at a major referral vascular surgery centre in the country. A retrospective descriptive review of 326 patients with blast and gunshot-induced penetrating traumatic vascular injuries managed during a five-year period between April 2018 and April 2023. The demographics, mechanism of injury, type of vascular injury, Anatomical location, time to the operation, length of hospital stay, amount of blood products given, concomitant neuroskeletal injuries, development of Vascular injury associated acute kidney injury, surgical procedures performed and patient outcome were reviewed. In this study, 326 patients with 445 vascular injuries fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most of the patients were male 92.3%, and the mean age was 28.3 ± 9.9 years. The gunshot mechanism of vascular injury was implicated in 76.1% of the injuries, and explosive-induced injury was 78 (23.9%). 193 (59.2%) of the patients had isolated arterial injuries, 117 (35.9%) patients had combined arterial and venous injuries while 18 (4.9%) patients had isolated venous injuries. The most commonly injured arteries were the femoral artery, followed by Brachial and popliteal artery injuries (26.1%, 23.5% and 19.4%, respectively). The median time to revascularization was 8.8 ± 8.7 h. 46.8% of the patients had Concomitant fractures, while 26.5% had Concomitant nerve injuries. Only three patients had temporary non-heparin-bound shunts during their arrival. The most common surgical intervention in arterial injuries was reversed saphenous vein graft 46.1%. The mortality was 5.8% and 7.7% of the patients needed secondary amputation. The majority of wartime arterial injuries are a result of Blast and gunshot vascular injuries. Frequent need for autologous vein grafts should be considered to manage such injuries. Results are encouraging despite delays in intervention; therefore, all viable limbs should be revascularized, keeping in mind the long-term functionality of the limb.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of endovascular therapy versus open surgical repair for the traumatic lower extremity arterial injury

OBJECTIVE

For traumatic lower extremity artery injury, it is unclear whether it is better to perform endovascular therapy (ET) or open surgical repair (OSR). This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of ET versus OSR for traumatic lower extremity artery injury.

METHODS

The Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Databases were searched for studies. Cohort studies and case series reporting outcomes of ET or OSR were eligible for inclusion. Robins-I tool and an 18-item tool were used to assess the risk of bias. The primary outcome was amputation. The secondary outcomes included fasciotomy or compartment syndrome, mortality, length of stay and lower extremity nerve injury. We used the random effects model to calculate pooled estimates.

RESULTS

A total of 32 studies with low or moderate risk of bias were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that patients who underwent ET had a significantly decreased risk of major amputation (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.85; I2=34%) and fasciotomy or compartment syndrome (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.20-0.50, I2 = 14%) than patients who underwent OSR. No significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding all-cause mortality (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.75-1.64, I2 = 31%). Patients with ET repair had a shorter length of stay than patients with OSR repair (MD=-5.06, 95% CI -6.76 to -3.36, I2 = 65%). Intraoperative nerve injury was just reported in OSR patients with a pooled incidence of 15% (95% CI 6%-27%).

CONCLUSION

Endovascular therapy may represent a better choice for patients with traumatic lower extremity arterial injury, because it can provide lower risks of amputation, fasciotomy or compartment syndrome, and nerve injury, as well as shorter length of stay.

Outcomes of Endovascular and Open Surgical Therapy for Popliteal Artery Injury

BACKGROUND

Popliteal arterial injury carries an appreciable risk of limb loss and, despite advances in stent and stent-graft technology, endovascular therapy for popliteal arterial trauma is infrequently used when compared with traditional open repair. Thus, this study aims to assess outcomes of endovascular management (EM) with open surgery (OS) as a historical reference.

METHODS

An electronic search was performed (from January 2010 until June 2023) using multiple databases. Initial records were screened against eligibility criteria. Next, the full-text manuscript of articles that passed the title and abstract assessment was reviewed for relevancy of data points. Data from articles passing the inclusion criteria were extracted and tabulated. Comparative analysis was completed by performing chi-square tests and 2-sampled t-tests (Welch's).

RESULTS

The 24 selected studies described 864 patients (96 EM; 768 OS). In the endovascular group, patients underwent procedures primarily for blunt trauma using covered, self-expanding stents, resulting in universal technical success and patency. Patients had an average length of stay of 7.99 ± 7.5 days and follow-up time of 33.0 ± 7.0 months, with 21% undergoing fasciotomies, 6% undergoing amputation, and 4% having pseudoaneurysms. Patients in the OS group were evenly divided between blunt and penetrating trauma, chiefly undergoing vein graft interposition and exhibiting fasciotomy and amputation rates of 66% and 24%, respectively. Patients had an average length of stay of 5.66 ± 4.6 days and a 96% survival rate at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

The current evidence sheds light on the nature of treatment offered by EM and OS treatment and suggests EM is associated with several important positive outcomes. Although it is difficult to directly compare endovascular and open surgical techniques, the data with respect to open surgical management of popliteal artery trauma can still provide a powerful frame of reference for the outcomes of EM to date. However, this claim is weak due to the little published data for EM of popliteal trauma, publication bias accompanying the published studies, and general, selection bias. Additional prospective data are necessary to define patients who specifically benefit from endovascular repair.

Prognostic factors for femoropopliteal vascular injuries: surgical decisions matter

Background

Lower limbs are frequently involved in vascular trauma, but it is still not clear which factors lead to unfavorable clinical outcomes.

Objectives

To determine the clinical profile of patients with femoropopliteal injuries, the trauma mechanisms, and treatment and identify which factors led to unfavorable outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective study based on the medical records of patients treated from 2017 to 2021. The following data were assessed: sex, age, distance to reach the hospital, trauma mechanism, hypovolemic shock, additional injuries, treatment of vascular injuries, whether fasciotomy was needed, inappropriate intraoperative decisions, and injury severity score. Need for surgical reintervention, amputation, and death were defined as unfavorable outcomes. Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were conducted.

Results

The sample comprised 94 patients; 83% were men; mean age was 30.8 years; combined arterial and venous injuries prevailed (57.5%); and superficial femoral vessels were the most affected (61.7%). Penetrating mechanisms prevailed (80.9%). Arterial injuries were most frequently treated with venous graft (59.6%) and venous injuries underwent ligation (81.4%). In 15% of cases, inappropriate surgical decisions were detected; most often use of the ipsilateral great saphenous vein for arterial reconstruction. Unfavorable outcomes occurred in 44.7%: surgical reintervention was necessary in 21.3% and limb amputation in 25.5%, while 9.5% of the patients died.

Conclusions

These injuries mainly involved young men, victims of gunshot wounds. Superficial femoral vessels were the most injured; concomitant non-vascular trauma was frequent, mainly fractures. Inappropriate surgical decisions increased the need for reinterventions by 34 times. Need for fasciotomy, presence of fracture/dislocation, blunt trauma mechanism, and popliteal artery injury increased the risk of amputation.

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.

Therapeutic management and amputation options in a long time delayed blunt popliteal artery injury

PURPOSE

To report the experience of treatment on blunt traumatic popliteal artery injury (PAI) combined orthopedic injuries and determine the amputation-associated factors.

METHODS

From January 2008 to December 2019, 55 patients in level I trauma center with traumatic blunt PAI were retrospectively reviewed. Variables were retrospectively collected and statistically analyzed. Patients with PAI with limb selvage, primary amputation, and secondary amputation were retrospectively grouped and compared.

RESULTS

A total of 55 patients with a median age of 41.4 years (range 18-70), of which 45 were males (81.8%) and 10 were females (18.2%), were enrolled. The overall amputation rate was 36.4% because 88.6% of patients faced more than 6 h of delay before treatment. The average injury severe score (ISS) and abbreviated injury score (AIS) were 10.4 (range 9-34) and 8.2 (range 5-16), respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the number of hospitalization days was a significantly related factor to amputation. After a median follow-up of 56 months (range 12-132), no death, another limb loss, or claudication was found in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with PAI are commonly accompanied by multiple injuries that increase the risk of amputation; therefore, timely treatments are urgently required. Reducing the severity of ischemia by fasciotomy, not losing time by performing preoperative imaging or diagnostic tests, and repairing the associated venous injury can help to optimize the rates of limb salvage. However, impact factors, such as the gender and age of the patient, injured mechanisms, concomitant injuries, AIS, ISS, and surgical times, are not associated with the outcomes of amputation. Nonetheless, endeavors to salvage the limbs as far as possible should be made.

Delayed revascularization of extremities following vascular injuries: Challenges and outcome

Purpose

In developing countries delayed presentation following major vascular injury is common due to limited vascular trauma units; delay in diagnosis and time lost in transit which pose a major challenge for limb salvage. Aim of this study was to assess limb survival and complications after delayed revascularization of extremity following major vascular injury.

Method

20 patients, (19 males and 1 female, mean age 31.55 years) with major extremity vascular injury who presented >8 h after vascular trauma were included in this study. All patients had road traffic accidents as the cause of extremity injury. These patients were operated by primary vascular repairs, thrombectomy and/or interposition vein graft along with fixation of concomitant skeletal trauma.

Results

The commonest vessel injured was popliteal artery. The mean time of limb revascularization was 30.8 h. Limb salvage rate was 95% and there was no perioperative mortality. 9 patients developed postoperative complications including sloughing of leg muscles (4), foot drop (3) pseudo aneurysm (1) and reperfusion injury (1). At 6 months follow-up all the patients were able to walk with full weight bearing and there was no chronic ischemia, pain or sinuses.

Conclusion

Limb salvage can be achieved with good results in patients with delayed revascularization in selected cases. However; delayed revascularization leads to long and protracted postoperative course with high chances of vascular and neurological complications.

Arterial Injury Portends Worse Soft Tissue Outcomes and Delayed Coverage in Open Tibial Fractures

OBJECTIVES

To investigate if any injury to the three primary branches of the popliteal artery in open tibia fractures lead to increased soft-tissue complications, particularly in the area of the affected angiosome.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort comparative study.

SETTING

Two academic level one trauma centers.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-eight adult patients with open tibia fractures with a minimum one-year follow up.

INTERVENTION

N/A.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Soft-tissue outcomes as measured by wound healing (delayed healing, dehiscence, or skin breakdown) and fracture related infection (FRI) at time of final follow-up.

RESULTS

Eleven (15.1%) tibia fractures had confirmed arterial injuries via CTA (7), direct intraoperative visualization (3), intraoperative angiogram (3). Ten (91.0%) were treated with ligation and 1 (9.1%) was directly repaired by vascular surgery. Ultimately, 6 (54.5%) achieved radiographic union and 4 (36.4%) required amputation performed at a mean of 2.62 ± 2.04 months, with one patient going on to nonunion diagnosed at 10 months. Patients with arterial injury had significantly higher rates of wound healing complications, FRI, nonunion, amputation rates, return to the OR, and increased time to coverage or closure. After multivariate regression, arterial injury was associated with higher odds of wound complications, FRI, and nonunion. Ten (90.9%) patients with arterial injury had open wounds in the region of the compromised angiosome, with 7 (70%) experiencing wound complications, 6 (60%) FRIs, and 3 (30%) undergoing amputation.

CONCLUSIONS

Arterial injuries in open tibia fractures with or without repair, have significantly higher rates of wound healing complications, FRI, delayed time to final closure, and need for amputation. Arterial injuries appear to effect wound healing in the affected angiosome.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Five-year outcomes of trauma-specific function in patients after acute blunt popliteal artery injury: a matched cohort analysis

BACKGROUND

Few studies focus on the trauma-specific functional outcomes after surgical revascularization and risk factors contributing to poor outcomes in patients with acute blunt popliteal artery injury (PAI). The objective of this study was to investigate the long-term trauma-specific functional outcomes in patients with acute blunt PAI and identify the associated risk factors.

METHODS

There were 36 patients with acute blunt PAI who require surgical revascularization at a national trauma center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University between March 2010 and April 2019. After propensity matching, each patient was matched to one patient who did not have a concomitant vascular injury in control cohort. Functional outcomes were assessed with trauma-specific functional scores, physical examination of range of motion, nerve functional status and knee stability. A logistics regression model was established to determine the independent risk factors.

RESULTS

The 5-year (range 2-10 years) follow-up showed that 22 patients (22/36, 61.1%) had functional deficit due to limited activity or chronic neurological symptoms. Patients in vascular cohort had significantly decreased FIM score and AHFS score compared with matched patients without vascular involvement (P = 0.003 and P < 0.001), whereas there was no statistically significant difference in KSS (P = 0.136). Spearman correlation analysis of functional scores in vascular cohort showed that the FIM score was positively correlated with AHFS score (r = 0.926, P < 0.001), but not correlated with the KSS (r =  - 0.007, P = 0.967). Additionally, there was significant difference in the range of motion of ankle between two groups (P < 0.001 and P = 0.034). Logistic regression analysis further demonstrated nerve injuries and compartment syndrome were risk factors for poor ankle function after surgery (OR 22.580, P = 0.036 and OR 12.674, P = 0.041).

CONCLUSION

Most patients who sustained blunt PAI had significant functional deficit associated with limited activity and chronic neurological symptoms of ankle and foot, and poor functional outcomes were related to nerve injury and compartment syndrome. Therefore, early and effective decompression for compartment syndrome remains the only potentially modifiable risk factor for improving functional outcomes following PAI.

Risk and prognostic factors of replantation failure in patients with severe traumatic major limb mutilation

Purpose

Traumatic mutilation of major limbs can result in limb loss, motor disability, or death. Patients who had replantation failure needed to undergo additional surgeries (even amputation) and had a longer length of hospital stay. Here, we determined the risk and prognostic factors of replantation failure in patients with traumatic major limb mutilation.

Methods

This retrospective study included adult inpatients with severed traumatic major limb mutilation who underwent replantation from Suzhou Ruixing Medical Group from October 18, 2016 to July 31, 2020. Demographic, and clinical characteristics including traumatic conditions, laboratory findings, mangled extremity severity scores (MESS), treatments, and outcomes of the patients were collected. Data were used to analyze predictors and risk factors for replantation failure.

Results

Among the 66 patients, 48 (72.7%) were males, the median age was 47.0 years old. Replantation failure occurred in 48 patients (72.7%). The area under the curve of the joint prediction of lactic acid on admission, 72-h cumulative fluid balance, and albumin level immediately postoperatively was 0.838 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.722–0.954; P < 0.001) with a sensitivity of 89.7% and a specificity of 69.2%. Lower limb trauma (odds ratio [OR] 8.65, 95% CI 1.64–45.56, P = 0.011), mangled extremity severity scores (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.25–4.01, P = 0.007), and first 72-h cumulative fluid balance > 4885.6 mL (OR 10.25, 95% CI 1.37–76.93, P = 0.024) were independent risk factors for replantation failure.

Conclusions

Lower limb trauma, mangled extremity severity scores, and cumulative water balance were associated with replantation failure, implying that fluid management is necessary for major limb salvage. More studies are needed to explore the predictive power of indicators related to tissue oxygenation and wound healing for replantation failure.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00068-021-01876-w.

Popliteal scoring assessment for vascular extremity injuries in trauma study

OBJECTIVE

Traumatic popliteal vascular injuries are associated with the highest risk of limb loss of all peripheral vascular injuries. A method to evaluate the predictors of amputation is needed because previous scores could not be validated. In the present study, we aimed to provide a simplified scoring system (POPSAVEIT [popliteal scoring assessment for vascular extremity injuries in trauma]) that could be used preoperatively to risk stratify patients with traumatic popliteal vascular injuries for amputation.

METHODS

A review of patients sustaining traumatic popliteal artery injuries was performed. Patients requiring amputation were compared with those with limb salvage at the last follow-up. Of these patients, 80% were randomly assigned to a training group for score generation and 20% to a testing group for validation. Significant predictors of amputation (P < .1) on univariate analysis were included in a multivariable analysis. Those with P < .05 on multivariable analysis were assigned points according to the relative value of their odds ratios (ORs). Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to determine low- vs high-risk scores. An area under the curve of >0.65 was considered adequate for validation.

RESULTS

A total of 355 patients were included, with an overall amputation rate of 16%. On multivariate regression analysis, the risk factors independently associated with amputation in the final model were as follows: systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg (OR, 3.2; P = .027; 1 point), associated orthopedic injury (OR, 4.9; P = .014; 2 points), and a lack of preoperative pedal Doppler signals (OR, 5.5; P = .002; 2 points [or 1 point for a lack of palpable pedal pulses if Doppler signal data were unavailable]). A score of ≥3 was found to maximize the sensitivity (85%) and specificity (49%) for a high risk of amputation. The receiver operating characteristic curve for the validation group had an area under the curve of 0.750, meeting the threshold for score validation.

CONCLUSIONS

The POPSAVEIT score provides a simple and practical method to effectively stratify patients preoperatively into low- and high-risk major amputation categories.