latrogenic arterial trauma associated with hip joint surgery: An overview

Four cases of iatrogenic arterial injuries following hip surgery are reported. An overview of the literature revealed 122 additional cases. In 93 (74%) of these cases the arterial damage occurred following total hip replacement, 27(21%) were related to hip fracture correction and six cases complicated other hip surgery procedures. Revisional hip surgery was found to be a definite risk factor. Injuries associated with hip replacement differ significantly in various characteristics of those associated with hip fracture correction. There was a 9% mortality and a 17% permanent disability rate in patients with arterial trauma following total hip replacement. In this group a significantly higher permanent disability rate was noticed in patients who first presented with ischaemia ( p