Abstract
For lower-extremity amputees it is important to proceed with prosthetic rehabilitation as soon as possible postoperatively. We report on two patients, both of them transf emoral amputees owing to vascular diseases. Patient 1 was a 69-year-old man who had undergone right transfemoral amputation because of arteriosclerosis obliterans and had a history of angina pectoris, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Patient 2 was also a 69-year-old man who had undergone left transfemoral amputation because of thromboangiitis obliterans. The patients were successfully rehabilitated and were able to resume walking with prostheses and achieve independence in activities of daily living. In the early weeks after amputation, the patients' stumps changed greatly in both size and shape. Temporary prostheses were used for early ampulation training. Thermoplastics were used in the fabrication of the temporary socket. In this article, we discuss the necessity of using a temporary prosthesis socket and discuss some medical problems associated with early rehabilitation in geriatric amputees.
