Summary
All major amputations of the lower limb due to occlusive arterial disease were studied prospectively and consecutively during one year in the 5 hospitals in Malmöhus county, Sweden. The patients were followed for 6 months after the primary amputation of which 136 were through the tibia, 6 through the knee and 35 through the femur. One hundred and seventy-seven patients (92 men and 85 women) were included; 49% were 80 years or older and 40% were diabetic. At 6 months, 85 of the surviving 109 patients had healed stumps, 10 were not healed and 14 had been revised or reamputated. Half the survivors used a prosthesis daily. There was no significant difference in healing related to sex, age, diabetes or the level of amputation, but diabetics were more often bilateral amputees. The mortality at 6 months was 38% and at 4 years 72%.
Résumé
Toutes les amputations majeures des membres inférieurs, motivées par des maladies vasculaires, ont été étudiées de façon prospective dans la région de Malmö (Suède). Les cinq hopitaux de la région ont été inclus dans l'étude pendant un an. Après l'amputation, les malades ont été suivis pendant 6 mois. La mortalité a été enregistrée jusqu'à la 4ème année post-opératoire. 177 patients ont subj des amputations majeures (92 hommes et 85 femmes), à savoir 136 amputations de jambe, 6 désarticulations du genou et 35 amputations de cuisse. Durant cette même période 302 opérations de chirurgie vasculaire des membres inférieurs ont été réalisées dans la région. L'incidence des amputations a été de 34 pour 10000 habitants, par an. 49% des malades avaient 80 ans et plus, 40% étaient diabétiques. L'amputation transtibiale a été faite initialement chez 77% des patients, après 6 mois 74% avaient conservé le même niveau d'amputation. Au contrôle du 6ème mois, parmi les 109 survivants, 85 (78%) étaient cicatrisés, chez 10 patients (9%) l'amputation n'était pas guérie et 14 (13%) avaient éte réamputés. Il n'y avait pas de différence significative, quant à la guérison, selon l'âge, le sexe, l'existence d'un diabète ou le niveau de l'amputation. Les sujets diabétiques étaient plus souvent amputés bilatéralement (p=0.015). La mortalité était de 38% après 6 mois et de 72% après 4 ans. L'utilisation quotidienne d'une prothèse n'a été notée que chez la moitié des malades survivants au 6ème mois.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apelqvist J (1990) Diabetic foot ulcers. The importance of clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for the outcome. Thesis, University of Lund, Sweden
BMDP (1990) Statistical software manual, vol II. University of California Press, Berkeley
Borssén B, Lithner F (1983) Amputations in diabetics and nondiabetics in Ume» County 1971–1977. Acta Med Scand [Suppl] 687: 95–100
Bunt TJ, Manship LL, Bynoe RPH, Haynes JL (1984) Lower extremity amputation for peripheral vascular disease. A low-risk operation. Am Surg 50: 581–584
Ebskov B, Josephsen P (1980) Incidence of reamputation and death after gangrene of the lower extremity. Prosthet Orthot Int 4: 77–80
Faris I, Duncan H, Young C (1988) Factors affecting outcome of diabetic patients with foot ulcers or gangrene. J Cardiovasc Surg 29: 736–740
Fearon J, Campbell DR, Hoar CS, Gibbons GW, Rowbotham JL, Wheelock FC Jr (1985) Improved results with diabetic below-knee amputations. Arch Surg 120: 777–780
Finch D, MacDougal M, Tibbs D, Morris P (1980) Amputation for vascular disease: the experience of a peripheral vascular unit. Br J Surg 67: 233–237
Greant P, Van den Brande P (1990) Amputation in elderly and high-risk vascular patients. Ann Vasc Surg 4: 288–290
Hansson J (1964) The leg amputee: a clinical follow-up study. Acta Orthop Scand [Suppl] 69: 35
Harris JP, Page S, Englund R, May J (1988) Is the outlook for the vascular amputee improved by striving to preserve the knee? J Cardiovasc Surg 29: 741–745
Jensen J Steen (1983) Life expectancy and social consequences of through-knee amputations. Prosth Orthot Int 7: 113–115
Kacy SS, Wolma FJ, Flye MW (1982) Factors affecting the results of below knee amputation in patients with and without diabetes. Surg Gynecol Obstet 155: 513–518
Kald A, Carlsson R, Nilsson E (1989) Major amputation in a defined population: incidence, mortality and results of treatment. Br J Surg 76: 308–310
Keagy BA, Schwartz JA, Kotb M, Burnham SJ, Johnson G Jr (1986) Lower extremity amputation: the control series. J Vasc Surg 4: 321–326
Koch G, Edwards S (1988) Clinical efficacy trials with categorical data. In: CE Peace (ed) Biopharmaceutical statistics for drug development. Marcel Dehler Press, New York
Larsson PA, Risberg B (1988) Amputations due to lower-limb ischemia: analysis of a 3-year series. Acta Chir Scand 154: 267–270
Lexier R, Harrington IJ, Woods JM (1987) Lower extremity amputations: a 5-year review and comparative study. Can J Surg 30: 374–376
Liedberg E, Persson BM (1983a) Increased incidence of lower limb amputation for arterial occlusive disease. Acta Orthop Scand 54: 230–234
Liedberg E, Persson BM (1983b) Age, diabetes and smoking in lower limb amputation for arterial occlusive disease. Acta Orthop Scand 54: 383–388
Lindeg»rd P, Jonsson B, Lithner F (1984) Amputations in diabetic patients in Gotland and Ume» counties 1971–1980. The diabetic gangrene. Acta Med Scand [Suppl] 687: 89–93
Little JM, Petritsi-Jones D, Zylstra P, Williams R, Kerr C (1973) A survey of amputations for degenerative vascular disease. Med J Aust 1: 329–334
McCollum PT, Spence VA, Walker WF, Swanson AJG, Turner MS, Murdoch G (1984) Experience in the healing rate of lower limb amputations. J R Coll Surg Edinb 29: 358–362
Nagendran T, Johnson G, McDaniel WJ, Mandel SK, Proctor HJ (1972) Amputation of the leg: an improved outlook. Ann Surg 6: 994–999
Nelson RH, Gohdes MD, Everhart JE, Hartner JA, Zwemer FL, Pettitt DJ, Knowler WC (1988) Lower extremity amputations in NIDDM: 12 year follow-up study in PIMA-indians. Diabetes Care 11: 8–16
Persson BM, Liedberg E, Eneroth M (1989) A break of trend in the number of amputations among diabetics. Lokartidningen 28–29: 2523–2524
Pohjolainen T, Alaranta H (1988) Lower limb amputations in Southern Finland. Prosthet Orthot Int 12: 9–18
Pohjolainen T, Alaranta H, Wikström J (1989) Primary survival and prosthetic fitting of lower limb amputees. Prosthet Orthot Int 13: 63–69
Sethia KK, Berry AR, Morrison JD, Murie JA, Morris PJ (1986) Changing pattern of lower limb amputation. Br J Surg 73: 701–703
Sernbo I, Bergqvist D, Johnell O, Lundell A (1991) Amputations in the city of Malmö 1979, -84, -89 and -90i a description of the patients background data. Stockholm, Document of the Swedish Medical Society 100: 275–276
Stewart CPU (1987) The influence of smoking on the level of lower limb amputation. Prosth Orthot Int 11: 113–116
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eneroth, M., Persson, B.M. Amputation for occusive arterial disease. International Orthopaedics 16, 383–387 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00189624
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00189624