Common Causes of Amputation

The loss or removal of a body part, such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm, or leg, is known as amputation. Your capacity to travel, work, communicate with others, and maintain your independence may all be impacted by this potentially life-changing experience. Recovery may be hampered by persistent pain, phantom limb occurrences, and emotional stress.

The legal team at Potter Rees Dolan Solicitors provides information about amputation surgery and associated health issues.

What are the causes of amputation?

Traumatic amputations can occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents, workplace or industrial accidents, or injuries sustained during military duties. 

An affected body part may be amputated surgically if tissue damage, infection, or disease renders it impossible to restore or endangers the patient's life.

Tissue death requiring an amputation can also be brought on by trauma or illness that for an extended period of time cuts off blood flow to a body part.

Amputation, diabetes and vascular disease

Complications of vascular disorders and other ailments that alter blood flow, such as diabetes and peripheral artery disease, account for about 54% of all surgical amputations (PAD).

Toes, feet, and legs may experience tissue death as a result of chronic vascular issues. Nearly half of patients who have their limbs amputated due to the consequences of these diseases pass away within five years after the treatment.

Cancer-related amputation

Less than 2% of amputations involve the removal of a hand, foot, arm, or leg to stop the spread of specific cancers. Sarcomas, for example, can harm bone and soft tissue in the limbs, and amputation may be necessary if the cancer is too large or aggressive to be removed, if it returns, or if it spreads to the nerves or blood arteries.

Hip disarticulation, which involves removing the entire femur (thigh bone) from the pelvis, is a type of amputation used to treat advanced malignancies of the upper leg.

Amputation for severe infection

Blood poisoning and severe sepsis are both terms for the same condition. It takes place when a body is overrun by drug-resistant germs, which then spread throughout the circulation. Sepsis can impair blood flow and result in tissue death, particularly in the hands, feet, toes, and fingers. If antibiotic medications cannot control the illness, severe sepsis can be fatal.

Meningococcal bacteria, which produce a deadly form of meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, are one of the causes of sepsis. The bacterium Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can also cause fasciitis, can lead to a serious condition termed necrotizing soft tissue infection. In order to preserve the patient's life, an amputation may be required for these and other serious infections that develop in a body part that the patient can live without.

Surgical approaches to amputation

When performing an amputation, doctors try to keep as much of the patient's original body as they can while removing any injured or diseased tissue that can be dangerous or uncomfortable for the patient.

Surgeons think about the patient's mobility, sensation, and looks while determining the best way to execute an amputation. The amputation should guarantee that a prosthesis fits and performs appropriately if the rehabilitation care plan calls for an artificial prosthetic device.

Amputation techniques that are often used include:

Standard amputation

The limb is amputated, and the cut end of the bone is covered with skin and muscles by the surgeons. If it is intended to provide the patient with an artificial (prosthesis) leg, the terminal limb must be appropriately cushioned by soft tissue from the patient in order for the prosthetic to be comfortable and support the weight without inflicting discomfort, infection, or tissue damage.

Osseointegration

When a body part is removed via surgery, the remaining bone stump is filled with a steel implant. That implanted component can be connected to a prosthetic. This therapy, when applied to a leg amputation, can make it possible for the leg and hip bones to support weight bearing rather than the soft tissue still there, allowing the patient to stand and walk more naturally.

Rotationplasty

Rotationplasty is an option for some individuals who have a tumour in their bone or soft tissue since it involves removing the affected area of the limb and turning any good tissue underneath the tumour around and reattaching it.

For instance, the bone and tissue of the person's ankle on that leg may still be healthy after cancer surgery that results in the knee being amputated. Ina rotationplasty procedure, the lower limb is rotated and reconnected, replacing the ankle joint with the knee.

Some patients who undergo successful rotationplasty may be able to wear a prosthetic lower limb, enjoy mobility, and even take part in hobbies and sports.

Contact us

If you require advice regarding amputation, contact our expert team today on 0800 027 2557 or fill out our online contact form for a member of our team to contact you at a time convenient for you.