Abstract:

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the dysfunction of pulmonary ventilation caused by all sorts of endogenous and exogenous emboli that clog pulmonary artery and its branches. With its hidden onset and rapid progress, the mortality of PE is higher. It is not rare that deep vein thrombosis occurs after orthopaedic operations, while the incidence of PE after arthroscopy operation is seldom reported, which may be ignored and cause serious consequence. This paper reports one case of PE after arthroscopic meniscus angioplasty. The rescue measures taken for the patient are described, and the related literatures are reviewed. It is considered that the occurrence of PE after arthroscopic meniscus angioplasty may be associated with baseline internal medicine diseases, intraoperative popliteal fossa vascular injury, long time use of tourniquet, operation stress and application of clotting drugs after operation. Therefore, careful preoperative assessment, skilled intraoperative management and close monitoring of lower limbs and general systemic condition after operation are needed.

Key words: arthroscopy, meniscus angioplasty, pulmonary embolism