Amputation Group Research Articles

Wound Healing: An endpoint for complex peripheral angioplasty.

The standard endpoint for lower limb revascularization is long-term patency; however, in high-risk patients with end-stage ischemia, healing of chronic ulcerations has been proposed as an acceptable endpoint. To evaluate if today's minimally invasive interventions, in combination with comprehensive wound healing procedures, can resolve nonhealing wounds, we performed a retrospective review of chronic ulceration patients treated at the San Francisco Wound Care Center. Eight-five patients with 96 limbs at risk due to nonhealing ulcers were treated with a variety of endovascular procedures: 7 patients (group I) received Palmaz stents for unilateral iliac occlusions; 42 limbs (group II) in 39 patients were treated with balloon angioplasty for superficial femoral and popliteal lesions; and 47 extremities in 39 patients (group III) underwent rotational atherectomy for tibioperoneal lesions. Comprehensive wound management techniques, including the application of growth factors, were used. All group I wounds healed, although 6 of 7 patients required additional procedures to address outflow lesions. In groups II and III, primary patencies were similar (64% and 70%, respectively), and nine treated sites reoccluded in each group. Restenotic lesions were retreated in both groups (three in group II and four in group III) secondary patencies were 71% and 78%, respectively. There were more amputations in group III patients (five) compared to group II (one). In both groups after 5 months, 90% of wounds had healed in group II and 72% in group III. The use of endovascular procedures appears to play an important role in the healing of chronic lower extremity ulcerations in high-risk patients with end-stage ischemia.

Wound Healing: An Endpoint for Complex Peripheral Angioplasty

Purpose: The standard endpoint for lower limb revascularization is long-term patency; however, in high-risk patients with end-stage ischemia, healing of chronic ulcerations has been proposed as an acceptable endpoint. To evaluate if today's minimally invasive interventions, in combination with comprehensive wound healing procedures, can resolve nonhealing wounds, we performed a retrospective review of chronic ulceration patients treated at the San Francisco Wound Care Center. Methods: Eight-five patients with 96 limbs at risk due to nonhealing ulcers were treated with a variety of endovacular procedures: 7 patients (group 1) received PalmazR stents for unilateral iliac occlusions; 42 limbs (group II) in 39 patients were treated with balloon angioplasty for superficial femoral and popliteal lesions; and 47 extremities in 39 patients (group III) underwent rotational atherectomy for tibioperoneal lesions. Comprehensive wound management techniques, including the application of growth factors, were used. Results: All group I wounds healed, although 6 of 7 patients required additional procedures to address outflow lesions. In groups II and III, primary patencies were similar (64% and 70%, respectively), and nine treated sites reoccluded in each group. Restenotic lesions were retreated in both groups (three in group II and four in group III); secondary patencies were 71% and 78%, respectively. There were more amputations in group III patients (five) compared to group II (one). In both groups after 5 months, 90% of wounds had healed in group II and 72% in group III. Conclusion: The use of endovascular procedures appears to play an important role in the healing of chronic lower extremity ulcerations in high-risk patients with end-stage ischemia.

Attention Demands in Balance Recovery following Lower Limb Amputation

The attention demands in balance control after damage to the peripheral sensorimotor system were studied in 12 persons with a recent lower limb amputation. The interference of an arithmetic task with two postural tasks of different complexity (quiet standing and active weight shifting) was examined several times during their rehabilitation while the subjects stood on a force platform. Control data were obtained from healthy subjects. For both postural tasks, persons with amputation performed worse than controls. Quiet standing, a relatively simple task, revealed clear dual-task interference only in the amputation group. Evidence was found for a reduction in dual-task interference as rehabilitation progressed. In contrast, voluntary (feedback-controlled) weight shifting, a more complex task, revealed an equal amount of dual-task interference in persons with amputation and in controls, without changes in interference over the period of rehabilitation. The results indicate that attentional mechanisms may be involved in postural control, depending on both the novelty and complexity of the task. Moreover a reduction in attention demands of quiet standing may reflect a central adaptation of the postural organization to the peripheral sensorimotor impairments caused by lower limb amputation.

Long-Term Cost Comparison of Major Limb Salvage Using the Ilizarov Method Versus Amputation

Hospital costs and professional fees of Ilizarov limb reconstruction patients were compared with hospital costs, professional fees, and prosthetic costs of lower-extremity amputation patients. Ten patients with tibial nonunions, osteomyelitis, infected nonunions, and/or bone defects underwent Ilizarov limb reconstruction while six patients with similar traumatic injuries underwent amputation (three acute and three delayed). The average age was 41 years for the Ilizarov group and 40 years for the amputation group. Both the Ilizarov and the amputation groups required an average of four surgical procedures. The average hospital length of stay was 16 days for the Ilizarov group and 25 days for the amputation group. The total average treatment time was 322 days for the Ilizarov group and 175 days for the amputation group. The total cost of the Ilizarov limb reconstruction averaged $59,213.71. The hospital costs and professional fees for the amputation group averaged $30,148.02 without prosthetic costs, but with the projected lifetime prosthetic costs included, averaged $403,199.18. This study suggests that Ilizarov limb reconstruction is cost-effective when compared with amputation when prosthetic costs are also considered.

After the blue toe: Prognosis of noncardiac arterial embolization in the lower extremities

Purpose: To better understand the prognosis of atheroembolic disease, we reviewed the outcomes of 41 patients with embolization to the viscera and lower extremities.Methods and Results: All cases involved emboli that originated from a radiographically identified proximal arterial source. There were 30 men and 11 women (mean age 65 years; mean follow-up time 2 years), and all had been first treated for this condition within the past 6 years. The overall mortality rate was 17% (741) and the rate of recurrent embolization 15% (641). To compare outcomes associated with supradiaphragmatic versus subdiaphragmatic disease, we defined two groups: group 1 comprised patients (n = 5) in whom the identified embolic source extended above the diaphragm, and group 2 comprised patients (n = 36) in whom the source remained below the diaphragm. The mortality rates in groups 1 and 2 were 60% (35) and 11% (436), respectively (p < 0.05). Recurrent embolization was also significantly higher in group 1 (60% vs 8%, p < 0.025). There were two amputations in group 1 and six in group 2 (p = not significant). Group 2 patients were then divided into two subgroups: those with limited disease (n = 19) in which the emboli had a single, radiographically identified source (i.e., aneurysm or single area of ulcerated plaque) and those with diffuse disease (n = 17) in which the emboli had multiple, radiographically identified potential sources. In the subgroup of patients with limited disease, no deaths or episodes of recurrent embolization occurred, whereas four deaths and three episodes of recurrent embolization occurred in the subgroup of patients with diffuse disease. The differences in these outcomes, however, were not statistically significant. Thirty selected patients (one from group 1 and 29 from group 2) underwent operation on or bypass of the imputed lesion. Only one (7%) of these 30 patients had recurrent embolization. In contrast, recurrent embolization was noted in four (36%) of the 11 patients who did not have an operation directed at the lesion (p < 0.025). No significant difference in mortality was found between patients who underwent operation and those who did not.Conclusions: Patients with atheroemboli have a substantial mortality rate and risk of recurrent embolization, especially if the disease process extends above the diaphragm; but in selected patients, operation may decrease the frequency of recurrence without increasing mortality.

Amputation level is not adversely affected by previous femoro-distal bypass surgery

Data was reviewed on patients presenting with lower limb-threatening ischaemia to a single vascular unit between September 1984 and December 1990. Three hundred and thirty patients underwent either femoro-popliteal or femoro-infrapopliteal reconstructive surgery and 316 primary amputations were performed on 281 patients. Sixty-three secondary amputations were performed following a femoro-distal bypass failure. The below-knee amputation to above-knee amputation ratio (BKA/AKA) was 1.0 in the primary amputation group to 0.91 in the secondary amputation group. A direct comparison cannot be made as the patients represent two separate clinical groups. The ratio of reconstructive operations to primary amputations more than doubled between the first and second halves of the study. The BKA:AKA ratio in the secondary amputation group and the total number of secondary amputations remained relatively constant. This study supports the view that previous femoro-distal surgery does not adversely affect the overall outcome of amputation.

Amputation and Cisplatin for Treatment of Canine Osteosarcoma

Seventy-one dogs with histologically confirmed appendicular osteosarcoma were evaluated. Seventeen dogs were treated with amputation and two postoperative [corrected] doses of IV cisplatin given 21 days apart (group 1). Nineteen dogs were treated with IV cisplatin 21 days before amputation, with a second dose given immediately after amputation (group 2). Thirty-five dogs were treated by amputation of the affected limb with no chemotherapy (group 3). The median disease-free interval for group 1 was 226 days, and 177 days for group 2. This was not significantly different. The median survival time was 262 days for group 1, 282 days for group 2 and 119 days for group 3. Group 1 and 2 dogs had survival times that were significantly longer than for dogs in group 3. Two IV courses of cisplatin given before or after amputation appears to improve the survival of dogs with osteosarcoma.

One hundred eleven thumb amputations: Replantation vs revision

One hundred eleven patients who sustained isolated, complete thumb amputation between 1971 and 1985 were reviewed to assess results of replantation and to compare these with results of amputation revision. Routine postoperative evaluation was performed in 69 successful replant patients and in 42 with revision. Twenty-five of the replant group and 18 of the revision group returned for additional testing that consisted of interview and physical examination, test of activities of daily living, Jebsen test of hand function, and both static and dynamic testing on the BTE work simulator. Ninety percent of replantations were between the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint and the proximal third of the distal phalanx. Shortening averaged 11 mm, and range of motion was 42% +/- 28% that of the uninjured thumb. One-half of the patients could touch the MP of their ring finger, and one-fourth could touch the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Twenty-one percent had 7 mm or less two-point discrimination, and 38% had between 8 and 20 mm. Eighty percent of both groups were able to perform activities of daily living at 80% of their uninjured side. Grip strength was approximately 84% of that of the uninjured hand in each group. Lateral pinch averaged 68% +/- 26% of that of the normal side in the replant group and 91% + 9% in the amputation group. Work simulator assessment of lateral and three-point pinch was better in the revision group. Scores on Jebsen testing were slightly better for those with replanted thumbs, but in general neither replant nor revision patients functioned as well as did Jebsen's normals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The medical and economic impact of severely injured lower extremities.

Modern methods of open fracture management, skeletal fixation, and soft-tissue and bone reconstruction have dramatically improved the potential for limb salvage. The absence of adequate objective parameters on which to base the decision for salvage results in delayed amputations in many cases. The present study was undertaken to review the medical and economic impact of delayed versus primary amputations following severe open fractures of the tibia. From January 1980 to August 1986, 263 patients with grade III open tibia fractures were treated at a major trauma center: 43 ultimately had amputations. This group included 38 males and five females with an average age of 31 years (range, 15-73). All patients were taken to the operating suite for consideration of limb salvage procedures including debridement, fasciotomy, revascularization, or rigid fixation. The standard subjective criteria including color, consistency, bleeding, and contractility were used to determine muscle viability at the time of debridement. If substantial muscle mass was found to be nonviable then amputation was considered. Fourteen (32.6%) of the patients had primary amputations. They averaged 22.3 days hospitalization, 1.6 surgical procedures to the involved lower extremity, and $28,964 hospital costs (range, $5,344-$81,282). The 29 patients with delayed amputations had an average of 53.4 days hospitalization, 6.9 surgical procedures, and $53,462 hospital costs (range, $14,574-$102,434). Six (20.7%) of the delayed amputation patients developed sepsis secondary to their involved lower extremity and died; no patient in the primary amputation group developed sepsis or died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The UCLA experience in limb salvage surgery for malignant tumors.

Between December 1980 and January 1985, 95 patients with 98 malignant bone tumors were treated at UCLA by a multidisciplinary approach. Seventy-eight patients with 81 lesions underwent primary limb salvage procedures utilizing 66 custom endoprostheses and, in 15 instances, soft tissue reconstruction alone. Sixty-three of 78 (80.7%) underwent successful limb salvage without complication. The 22 local complications in 15 patients (19.2%) were all successfully managed either by surgical or nonoperative techniques salvaging all 15 extremities at risk. Seventeen patients underwent primary amputation for local control of their tumor. The local recurrence rate of 6.4% in the limb salvage group is comparable to the 5.8% found in the amputation group. The selection of patients for limb salvage did not adversely prejudice these patients in terms of rates of progression or ultimate survivorship. The cosmetic and functional results of limb sparing surgery is felt to be at least comparable with that obtained by primary amputation and the use of external prostheses.

Oxygen inhalation-induced transcutaneous Po2 changes as a predictor of amputation level

Noninvasive transcutaneous Po2 (TcpO2) determinations have been developed to study peripheral arterial occlusive disease. To evaluate this technique as a predictor of amputation outcome, a blind, prospective study of 101 patients undergoing 119 amputations (23 above-knee [AK], 57 below-knee [BK], and 39 forefoot) was performed. TcpO2 measurements were obtained from the dorsum of the foot and 10 cm distal to the patella, both prior to and 10 minutes after inhalation of 100% oxygen. On the basis of preliminary results, initial TcpO2 values >10 mm Hg or an increase >10 mm Hg after oxygen inhalation were considered to predict a successful outcome, whereas failure was predicted when the initial TcpO2 value was <10 mm Hg and the increase after oxygen inhalation did not exceed the 10 mm Hg level. In the BK amputation group the test was 95% sensitive, 100% specific, and 95% accurate. Retrospective utilization of the above criteria in patients who had undergone both oxygen inhalation testing and AK amputation suggested that 9 of 17 limbs (53%) might have undergone a more distal BK amputation successfully. These results document the effectiveness of an initial TcpO2 determination coupled with the response to 100% oxygen inhalation as an excellent predictor of the outcome of lower extremity amputations.

Oxygen inhalation--induced transcutaneous PO2 changes as a predictor of amputation level.

Noninvasive transcutaneous PO2 (TcpO2) determinations have been developed to study peripheral arterial occlusive disease. To evaluate this technique as a predictor of amputation outcome, a blind, prospective study of 101 patients undergoing 119 amputations (23 above-knee [AK], 57 below-knee [BK], and 39 forefoot) was performed. TcpO2 measurements were obtained from the dorsum of the foot and 10 cm distal to the patella, both prior to and 10 minutes after inhalation of 100% oxygen. On the basis of preliminary results, initial TcpO2 values greater than 10 mm Hg or an increase greater than 10 mm Hg after oxygen inhalation were considered to predict a successful outcome, whereas failure was predicted when the initial TcpO2 value was less than 10 mm Hg and the increase after oxygen inhalation did not exceed the 10 mm Hg level. In the BK amputation group the test was 95% sensitive, 100% specific, and 95% accurate. Retrospective utilization of the above criteria in patients who had undergone both oxygen inhalation testing and AK amputation suggested that 9 of 17 limbs (53%) might have undergone a more distal BK amputation successfully. These results document the effectiveness of an initial TcpO2 determination coupled with the response to 100% oxygen inhalation as an excellent predictor of the outcome of lower extremity amputations.

Supravaginal uterine amputation vs. hysterectomy. Effects on libido and orgasm.

Postoperative symptoms of hysterectomy have received relatively little attention. In the present study, the first author has personally interviewed and examined 105 abdominal hysterectomy patients and 107 patients with supravaginal uterine amputation preoperatively and 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months postoperatively. Participation in the follow-up study was 99.5% (211/212) at one year. This paper deals with the effects of the two operations on libido and the frequency of orgasms. In the statistical analysis, McNemar's test of symmetry and the Fisher exact test were used. Weak or absent libido was reported preoperatively by 28.0% of hysterectomy patients and by 26.4% of amputation patients. One year postoperatively the corresponding figures were 35.4% and 31.4%. No statistical changes were observed between the two groups or within either group. In the frequency of orgasms a highly significant (p less than 0.001) reduction from the situation before operation to one year postoperatively was detected after hysterectomy. In the supravaginal amputation group no statistically significant decrease was detected. Preoperatively the two groups were alike; one year postoperatively the difference was almost significant (p less than 0.05). The reductions in orgasms after hysterectomy as compared with supravaginal amputation appears to result from the greater radicality of the former; at hysterectomy, the autonomous innervation of the proximal vagina and cervix is damaged more than in supravaginal amputation, the anatomy of the vagina is altered and scar tissue forms in the vagina. It is probable that these changes and subconscious psychological reactions due to total removal of the uterus explain why supravaginal uterine amputation gives better results than hysterectomy.

Liposarcoma of the leg

Forty-eight patients with liposarcomas of the leg were reviewed. Patients were treated by three approaches: wide local excision, amputation, and regional hyperthermic perfusion. Deaths from distant metastases occurred at a similar rate in all groups. The local recurrence rate was 43 percent in the wide excision group and 29 percent in the amputation group. No perfused patient had a local recurrence. This study demonstrates that hyperthermic regional perfusion and excision are superior to wide excision or amputation in preventing local recurrence for a liposarcoma of the leg and allow salvage of a functional limb.

Measurement of deep muscle temperature in ischemic limbs

Temperature profiles extending from the deep muscle out to the surface at points above and below the knee were measured using a 22 gauge thermistor probe in the form of a hypodermic needle in 15 ischemic limbs before amputation and 3 normal limbs before elective surgery. Of the 15 ischemic limbs studied, 8 had below-knee and 7 above-knee amputations, all of which healed without requiring revision. The mean difference between the maximum deep muscle temperature measured 15 cm above and 10 cm below the knee was 1.01 °C in the below-knee amputation group, 2.88 °C in the above-knee amputation group and 1.06 °C in the normal group. The temperature difference in the below-knee and above-knee groups was statistically significant (p <0.027). This relatively simple and easily performed technique of measuring deep muscle temperature appears to be a useful adjunct in choosing the amputation level.

Predictive Value of Soluble CD14, Interleukin-6 and Procalcitonin For Lower Extremity Amputation in People with Diabetes with Foot Ulcers: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The aim of this pilot study was to determine clinical and laboratory factors that predict amputation surgery and to evaluate the predictive value of soluble CD14 (sCD14), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Methods: Twenty-seven (20 males, 7 females) Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFU) patients admitted to our department were consecutively enrolled. The patients’ demographics and wound characteristics were noted. IL-6, PCT, and sCD14 were measured at admission. Results: Six of the 27 patients (22%) eventually underwent lower extremity amputation. Compared to the non-amputation group, a previous history of amputation (p=0.017), the presence of gangrene (p=0.044), the Wagner grade (p=0.011), the IL-6 concentration (p=0.018), the white blood cell count (WBC) (p=0.036), and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p=0.042) were significantly high in the amputation group. However, the sCD14 and PCT concentration were not significantly different. Conclusion: We have shown for the first time that IL-6 may have predictive value for lower extremity amputation in patients with DFU. Further studies are needed to confirm its predictive value in this patient group.