Associated injuries and complications in floating knee management

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective study set out to explore associated injuries and complications in floating knee management.
Design: A retrospective study.
Materials and Methods: The investigation lasted ten years from 1st January, 2000 to 31st December, 2009. All the patients admitted in that period with a floating knee were included. Fifty two files with a floating knee were included with 53 floating knees. One of them had a bilateral floating knee. The floating knees were classified according to Fraser’s classification.
Results: The average age was 38.37 years with extremes of 18 and 81 years. There were 40 men and 12 women that is a sex-ratio of 3.33. There were polytrauma context in 24 cases. Ninety seven associated injuries (22 head injuries, 6 upper limb fractures, 2 pelvic ring traumas, 2 cervical traumas, 17 knee hemarthrosis, 2 paralysis of fibular nerve associated to a displaced fracture of neck of fibula, 45 cases of open skin injury). Twenty five patients had received orthopaedic treatment. The complications were as follows: 8 knee stiffness, 7 vicious callus, 1 aseptic pseudarthrosis, 2 osseous infection. Twenty seven patients with a total of 28 floating knee had been treated surgically. Nine (33.33%) of them had presented at least one complication. We noted 4 knee stiffness, 3 vicious callus, 2 septic pseudarthrosis, 2 aseptic pseudarthrosis which one occurred on a broken plate, 1 osseous infection and 2 migrations of femoral nail. The afterings at middle follow-up were 2 shortness.
Conclusion: Associated injuries and complications of floating knee are frequent in our activities. Based upon findings, the study suggests that a good outcome of floating knee management will depend on early evaluation and treatment of associated injuries.

Keywords: Associated injuries, complications, Floating knee, Management