A critical review of amputation in vascular patients.

A study was made of 53 patients who underwent amputation for peripheral vascular disease over a 5-year period at West Virginia University Medical Center. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 6 years. Data concerning operative deaths, risk factors, use of prosthetic devices, and ultimate self-sufficient living were obtained. The functional outcome for this group of patients was encouraging with modern prosthetic fitting and social rehabilitation. Approximately 75% of the patients were returned to a useful life with a prosthetic limb or in a wheelchair. Amputation is a less desirable alternative than successful revascularization, but with the prostheses available today, amputation does not foreshadow a dismal existence.