Rehabilitation of a Patient with COVID-19 Who Underwent Right Transfemoral Amputation Due to Acute Limb Ischemia: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with an increased risk of thrombotic complications. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of clinical knowledge regarding rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19 after lower-limb amputation.

Case: A 74-year-old woman with COVID-19 was admitted to a university hospital. During hospitalization, she underwent right transfemoral amputation due to acute limb ischemia. Three months after admission, the patient was transferred to a convalescent rehabilitation ward in the same hospital. A femoral prosthesis was prescribed 2 weeks after her transfer to the rehabilitation ward. It featured ischial-ramal containment with a soft liner and belt suspension, 668-g multiple linkage-type safety knee joint (Imasen Engineering; M0781 SwanS), and a solid-ankle cushioned-heel foot. The total rehabilitation time during the patient’s stay in the acute-care and rehabilitation wards was 65.5 h (0.99 h/day, 66 days) and 275.0 h (3.02 h/day, 91 days), respectively. In the rehabilitation ward, the patient underwent 54.4 h (19.8%) of muscle strength training, 48.1 h (17.5%) of comprehensive assessments, and 47.1 h (17.1%) of gait training. The patient was discharged home 6 months after admission, with a total Functional Independence Measure score of 120. The patient could walk slowly [44.2 s (0.23 m/s) in the 10 m-walk test] with a femoral prosthesis and a quad cane but exhibited limited endurance (75.0 m in the 6-min walk test).

Discussion: Following appropriate rehabilitation, a patient was able to walk independently after lower-limb amputation despite the complication of COVID-19, although her walking ability was limited.