amputation Flashcards
amputation
- The removal or loss of a limb segment or an entire limb, due to medical illness, trauma/incident, and or surgical measures in order to prevent the spread of disease and/or control pain.
causes- congenital
- Results from failure of the fetus properly developing within the first 3 months of maturation.
- Congenital limb losses account for about 60% of all amputations
causes- acquired
-Can result from an incident site, animal attack, trauma, diabetes, tumor, any illness leading to surgical measurements.
- Acquired usually results in medical procedures which help control or eliminate the process of disease or the
already affected limb.
incidence
- About 185,000 amputations occur annually
- Below the knee are most common
- Leading causes of amputations are;
- Due to cancers or vascular diseases
- Example: Malignant tumor
- Second leading cause is trauma
- Such as accidents which will lead to a part of a limb or whole limb being severed.
classifications
Amputations can be classified according to level and site of limb absence and/or the functional point of view.
- They can be identified as above the knee(AK), below the knee(BK), above the elbow(AE), below the
elbow(BE).
9 classes
There are 9 classes: ● Class A1- Double above the knee ● Class A2- Single above the knee ● Class A3 - Double below the knee ● Class A4 - Single below the knee ● Class A5 - Double above the elbow ● Class A6 - Single above the elbow ● Class A7 - Double below the elbow ● Class A8 - Single below the elbow ● Class A9 - Combined lower plus upper limb amputations
diagnosis
- Chronic diseases such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and foot ulceration
result in limb amputation - Critical limb ischemia (CLI) results in 25% of patients requiring an amputation
○ Diagnosis includes: vascular examination, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and imaging modalities - Diabetes mellitus is related to 40-60% of lower extremity amputations
○ 85% of these amputations are caused by a foot ulcer, resulting in an infection and/or destruction
of deep tissues - Amniotic band syndrome (ABS): Rare condition that can cause limb amputation
of a baby due to restricted blood flow
○ Diagnosis: ultrasound
treatment/preventative measures
Preventative Measures:
- Foot ulcers can be prevented by having regular foot inspections, having access to foot care and wearing proper footwear
Treatment:
- Treating a diabetic foot is a multidisciplinary approach which includes strategies for treatment of:
○ Peripheral ischemia, oedema, pain, infection, metabolic disturbances and malnutrition; non weight
bearing, topical treatment, foot surgery, aggressive management of intercurrent disease
- CLI treatment should be individualized to the patient
Recovery:
- After amputation it is important to avoid stump complication such as bleeding, infection, and contracture
- Appropriate care includes:
○ Proper elevation, regular repositioning, routine exercises to strengthen the stump and leg muscles
severity scores
- Injury severity scores include:
○ MESS (Mangled Extremity Severity Score)
○ PSI (Predictive Salvage Index)
○ LSI (Limb Salvage Index)
○ NISSA (Nerve injury, Ischemia, Soft tissue injury, Skeletal injury, Shock,
patient age)
○ HFS (Hannover Fracture Scale)
Critical Limb Ischemia
○ considered a severe form of PAD so it would
be classified on the severe end of the
Fontaine classification or the Rutherford
classification
○ Fontaine: defines the distances at which pain
occurs
○ Rutherford: describes 7 stages of PAD
Trauma
○ Can lead to emergency amputation
○ Polytrauma: amputation increases chance of survival
○ Single limb amputation can prevent further complications
types of amputations
- lower limb
- upper limb
lower limb
- Partial Foot Amputation
- Ankle Disarticulation
- Below Knee Amputation
- Through Knee Amputation
- Above Knee Amputation
- Hip Disarticulation
- Hemipelvectomy
upper limb
- Partial Hand Amputation
- Metacarpal Amputation
- Wrist Disarticulation
- Below Elbow Amputation
- Elbow Disarticulation
- Above Elbow Amputation
- Shoulder Disarticulation
and Forequarter
Amputation
life with amputation
Stages After Surgery
- Healing and Starting Physiotherapy
- Regaining Mobility and Independence
- Visiting the Prosthetist
- Choosing an Artificial Limb(s)
- Learning to Use Your Artificial Limb
- Life as a New Amputee