Amputation for peripheral vascular disease: The case for level selection

✍ Scribed by Dr. P. T. McCollum; V. A. Spence; W. F. Walker

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 347 KB
• Volume: 75
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0007-1323
• DOI: 10.1002/bjs.1800751215

✦ Synopsis

One hundred major lower limb amputations were performed for end stage peripheral vascular disease over a 15-month period. Selection of amputation level was made on the basis of laboratory criteria using skin blood flow and infrared thermography data. Eighty-one amputations were performed at the below-knee level with six failures. This resulted in a final below-knee: above-knee amputation ratio of 3:1. It is clear that there are still many centres in the UK where above-knee amputation is the accepted operation, despite the inherent drawbacks to this procedure. We recommend that more attention is given to achieving higher below-knee amputation rates to improve the chances of amputee mobility and therefore quality of life.