A Case Report: An Acute Thrombus in the Femoral Artery following Total Hip Arthroplasty

INTRODUCTION: Vascular complications post-operative to a total hip arthroplasty are a very rare phenomenon. Only a few isolated cases have been reported to date. Diagnosis of such a case in a timely manner so as to preserve the limb is also difficult due to the subtle signs with which the patient presents. We report a case of complete occlusion of the common femoral artery following total hip arthroplasty due to acute thrombus formation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 56 year old Indian male patient underwent a cemented total hip replacement. Three hours post-operatively, the patient’s left lower limb was found to be pale and pulseless. Angiography showed complete occlusion of the left common femoral artery. Thrombectomy was carried out immediately and the patient recovered well. CONCLUSION: Vascular injuries are highly unusual findings following a total hip arthroplasty. Careful pre-operative and immediate post-operative monitoring of the patient is essential. Signs such as limb ischemia, absence of pulses, etc. must be recognized as early as possible and the necessary investigations and procedures should be carried out without any delay.