Knee dislocation with popliteal artery disruption: A nationwide analysis from 2005 to 2013

Few have compared short-term outcomes following knee dislocations with or without concomitant popliteal artery disruption (PAD).

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify 2175 patients admitted for knee dislocation from 2005 to 2013 (concomitant PAD: n = 210/9.7%; without: n = 1965/90.3%).

Patients with PAD were younger, more often male, Black and Hispanic, and with Medicaid (all p ≤ 0.013). PADs were associated with 11.0-times higher odds of increased LOS (95%CI, 6.6-18.4) and 2.8-times higher odds of experiencing any complication (95%CI, 2.03-3.92). Female sex was a protective factor against increased LOS, (OR = 0.65; 95%CI, 0.48-0.88).

High suspicion index should be maintained for concomitant vascular injuries following knee dislocations.