Geriatric rehabilitation of lower limb amputees: a multicenter study.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine factors independently associated with successful rehabilitation of patients with lower limb amputation in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

METHODS

All patients admitted to one of the 11 participating SNFs were eligible. Multidisciplinary teams collected the data. Successful rehabilitation was defined as discharge to an independent living situation within 1 year after admission. Functional status at discharge, as measured with the Barthel index (BI), was a secondary outcome. Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the independent contribution of each determinant to the two outcome measures.

RESULTS

Of 55 eligible patients, 48 were included. Mean age was 75 years. Sixty-five percent rehabilitated successfully. Multivariate analyses showed that presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 23.87, CI 2.26-252.47) and premorbid BI (OR 1.37, CI 1.10-1.70) were the most important determinants of successful rehabilitation, whereas 78% of the variance of discharge BI was explained by premorbid BI, BI on admission, and 1-leg balance.

CONCLUSION

The presence of DM and high premorbid BI were associated with discharge to an independent living situation within 1 year after admission. Premorbid BI, admission BI, and 1-leg balance were independently associated to discharge BI.