Lower Extremity Amputation

Excerpt

Over 150000 people undergo amputations of the lower extremity in the United States each year. This incidence is directly proportional to rates of peripheral arterial occlusive disease, neuropathy, and soft tissue sepsis. This correlation is due to the increased incidence of diabetes mellitus, which is present in eighty-two percent of all vascular-related lower extremity amputations in the United States. Patients with diabetes mellitus have an astounding 30 times greater lifetime risk of undergoing an amputation when compared to patients without diabetes mellitus, which translates to an economic strain in healthcare systems of over $4.3billion in annual costs in the USA alone. Trauma to the lower extremity can lead to amputation in over 20% of patients when associated with severe wound contamination and significant soft tissue loss. Battle-related explosive events can lead to amputation in 93% of cases and approximately 2% of combat casualties leat to limb amputation.

This activity will focus on amputations at the level of the femur and distally. it will cover above-knee, through-knee, and below-knee amputations(see Image. Digital Amputation). In addition, it will describe the technique for certain foot amputations (Syme, Chopart, Boyd), but the reader is encouraged to seek further in-depth text for review of these techniques. Amputations are procedures that are performed surgically although on rare occasions and limited settings can be performed employing cryoamputation.