Critical Overview on Hip Disarticulation in Severe Lower Limb Infection: A Case Report

Background: Hip disarticulation is a procedure that is not performed very often and not a lot of
surgeons are experts in performing it, and it is needed for patients who are unstable and in need for it.
A hip disarticulation results most often from trauma, tumors and severe infections, such as necrotizing
fasciitis (commonly referred to as flesh-eating bacteria). Less often, it results from vascular disease
and as a complication of diabetes mellitus. We present a case in which a 55-year-old female patient
underwent hip disarticulation then she developed a hematoma collection as a complication.
Case Presentation: A 55-year-old female patient with medical co-morbidities, presented with DVT,
ischemic gangrene, and necrotizing fasciitis following femoral catheter placement. A decision was
made to perform right hip disarticulation by orthopedic and vascular combine team at the day of
admission.
Conclusion: Hip Disarticulation due to infection might be the lone option in case of serious infection
in unstable patients. Disarticulation of the hip is a very complicated procedure and it should be one of
the armamentarium of the orthopedic surgeon who deals with serious infections in lower limb, treats
lower limb sarcomas, and diseases of peripheral vasculature. It can be considered as an important
procedure for patients and it is only done to save patient life in order to eliminate extensive infectious
process since there is no other proper treatment.