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Amputation in elderly and high-risk vascular patients

Annals of Vascular Surgery volume 4, pages 288–290 (1990)Cite this article

Abstract

Fifty-eight patients underwent lower limb amputation for arterial disease over a 30-month period. Mean age of the patients was 72 years. Cardiopulmonary and metabolic risk factors were present in the majority of the patients. Postoperative one-year and three-year mortality rates were 24, 40, and 76%, respectively. Contralateral amputation was required in one-third of the patients after a mean period of eight months. Only younger and healthier patients returned to a meaningful social life after appropriate prosthetic fitting. In view of the high mortality and morbidity rates, above-knee amputation seems a better choice than below-knee amputation in these elderly and high-risk patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Academic Hospital, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1090, Brussels, Belgium

    Ph. Greant MD & P. Van den Brande MD

Authors
  1. Ph. Greant MD
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  2. P. Van den Brande MD
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Cite this article

Greant, P., Van den Brande, P. Amputation in elderly and high-risk vascular patients. Annals of Vascular Surgery 4, 288–290 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02009459

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02009459

Key words

  • Amputation
  • peripheral arterial disease
  • complications
  • elderly and high-risk patients