Prognostic factors of a satisfactory functional result in patients with unilateral amputations of the upper limb above the wrist that use an upper limb prosthesis

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the prognostic factors of a satisfactory functional outcome in patients using upper extremity prosthetics with a proximal third forearm stump, and above, level of amputation. Materials and methodsAll patients with longitudinal deficiencies and traumatic amputations of upper extremity with a level of amputation of proximal third forearm and above were included. A total of 49 patients with unilateral upper extremity amputations that had used the prosthetic for a minimum of 2 years were included in the protocol. The Disability arm shoulder hand (DASH) scale was used to determine a good result with a cut-off of less than 40%. The independent variables were the level of amputation, the aetiology for its use, initial age of use and number of hours/day using the prosthesis. ResultsIt was found that patients with a congenital aetiology and those that started using the prosthetic before 6 years of age had better functional results. DiscussionIt was found that when adapting a patient with an upper extremity prosthetic, which has a high rejection rate of up to 49%, better functional outcomes are found in those who started using it before 6 years of age, and preferably because of a congenital aetiology. It was also found that the number of hours/day strongly correlates with a favourable functional outcome.