ARTERIAL TRAUMAS OF KNEE REGION

Twenty-one patients were male (%76.9), and 5 were female (%23.1). The average age was 4Ş, year-old (ranged bet­ ween 15 and 71 years). in the etiology the gunshot wounds with 53.8% was at the !irsi place. The duration between !he trauma and !he operation changed between 1.5 and 72 hours with and average of 6.6 hours.

Bleeding in 19 patients (73%), heamatoma in 11 {42.3%), signs of occlusion in 9 {34.6%), nerve injury in 5 (19.2%) and signs of shock in 2 (7.6%) patients were encountered. Popliteal artery injury was in the first place (80.7%) among the arterial traumas. Venous injury was the most common (46,1 %) coexisted organ pathology with arterial injury. in the surgical treatment to achieve the arterial patency, primary repair and autologous vein graft repair were the most lrequent procedures performed. Thrombus in 5 patients (19:2%), infection in 4 patients (15.3%), and neurologic se­ quelae in 3 patients (11.5%) were observed. The mortality rate was 7.6%, and amputation rate was 15.3% in our study. The management of aseptic conditions during !he transport, early diagnosis and effec tive inte rvention play important roles in decreasing the mortality and morbidity in !he trauma of !he knee region.