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Amputation in Combat Trauma

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Armed Conflict Injuries to the Extremities

Abstract

Despite the advances of modern orthopedic trauma techniques, the amputation rate for injured victims of modern warfare is on the rise. Increased devastation from high-velocity missiles and the prevalence of high-energy explosives in combat are directly responsible for the rise in extremity injuries. The globalization of disaster response has placed military surgeons at the forefront of the acute care provided to those victims of natural disasters. The high volume of extremity injuries encountered in these extreme conditions proves the necessity for surgeons to understand and perform amputation.

This chapter will focus on lower extremity amputations that are related to battlefield injuries. It will outline the general principles, surgical techniques, and treatment of complications.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mils Peninsula Health Services, Burlingame, CA, USA

    Nikolaj Wolfson

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Nikolaj Wolfson

  3. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Nikolaj Wolfson

  4. Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco – East Bay Surgery Program, Oakland, CA, USA

    Samuel C. Schecter

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  1. Nikolaj Wolfson
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  2. Samuel C. Schecter
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Correspondence to Nikolaj Wolfson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ziv Medical Center, Str. Rambam 1, Zefat, 13100, Israel

    Alexander Lerner

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Deptartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haaliyah Street 8, Haifa, 31096, Israel

    Michael Soudry

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Wolfson, N., Schecter, S.C. (2011). Amputation in Combat Trauma. In: Lerner, A., Soudry, M. (eds) Armed Conflict Injuries to the Extremities. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16155-1_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16155-1_19

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