Abstract
We conducted a survey and analysis to investigate the current status and issues of patients who newly underwent lower extremity amputations due to peripheral circulatory disorder (PCD). Sixty patients underwent lower extremity amputations during the four-year period between 2007 and 2010 at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of our hospital. Among them, 40 patients (66.7%) underwent amputations because of PCD, and the final site of amputation was below-knee amputation in 21 extremities (48.8%). Twelve patients (30%) died within 1 year after surgery. Nine patients (22.5%) received a prescription of prosthetic limb: 8 had below-knee amputation and 1 had above-knee amputation. The mean duration of hospital stay for patients who finally received a prescription of below-knee prosthesis was 89.6 days in PCD amputees, and 59.3 days in non-PCD (trauma) amputees.
