Abstract
Periprosthetic supracondylar fractures of the femur after total knee arthroplasty represent a devastating complication for the patient and a technical challenge for the surgeon. Treatment is often complicated by advanced patient age, retained cement, and accompanying osteoporosis. We present the case of a 54-year-old woman with a comminuted fracture of the distal femur just above a total knee prosthesis. She had a complex past medical history, including extensive coronary artery disease, morbid obesity, chronic osteoporosis, anemia, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. She was a Jehovah's Witness and thus refused all blood products. Given her medical history, religious preferences, and fracture comminution, a spanning external fixator was used. She completed fracture union with an excellent clinical and radiographic result at 2 years.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 90-93 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | American journal of orthopedics (Belle Mead, N.J.) |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Feb 1 2015 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)