Study of Below knee amputations in a Tertiary Health Care Centre in India

Abstract

Background Amputation word is derived from ‘Ambi’ meaning ‘around’ and ‘Putare’ meaning to prune or cut away, Amputation surgery has dated by to Hippocrates, It was a drastic measure undertaken to save life. Amputation was undertaken as a crude procedure in which limb was rapidly severed without anaesthesia, hemostasis was achieved by crushing the limb or by dipping it boiling oil. Needless to say the mortality was high due to blood loss, shock and sepsis. After the advent of asepsis, anesthesia and hemostasis in the mid nineteenth century, surgeons are focusing on tissue conservation. Objective:This study has been performed to know the various causes their preoperative factors like age, gender, laterality of disease, and intra operative factors like duration of surgery , blood loss and post operative complications of below knee amputation surgery in Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sarvopchar Rugnalay, Solapur. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study in patients operated for Below knee amputations in Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sarvopchar Rugnalay, Solapur from January 2021 to June 2022. Result : 70 cases were studied in the duration of 18 months, 2 out of 70 required bilateral below knee amputations The mean age group that underwent amputations was 62.8 +/- 4 years, Female to male ratio found was 0.21/1 ,common causes for Below knee amputations are infection like necrotising fasciitis complicated by diabetes mellitus, crush injuries due to road traffic accidents, peripheral vascular diseases ,Rare causes are burns, malignancies Conclusion – There is a high prevalence of amputations with soft tissue infections with diabetics in this study, It probably indicates ignorance to healthcare, It is of utmost importance to cultivate health seeking approach which will drastically reduce the limb loss and impairment in the population.