Fracture Blisters After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Fracture blisters are tense vesicles that arise on markedly swollen skin overlying traumatized soft tissue. While this relatively uncommon complication has been well described in the trauma literature, this article reports for the first time a case of fracture blisters after primary total knee arthroplasty. The fracture blisters developed within 36 hours of surgery and were associated with profound swelling and erythema. There was no evidence of vascular injury, compartment syndrome, iatrogenic fracture, or deep venous thrombosis. The patient was treated with leg elevation, loosely applied nonadhesive dressings, and a short course of oral antibiotics after skin desquamation. Blood-filled blisters required longer time to reepithelialization than fluid-filled blisters. Knee stiffness developed because of pain and fear of participation with physical therapy, but the patient was able to resume intensive rehabilitation after resolution of the blisters. Patient factors, surgical factors, and review of the literature are discussed.