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· DOS Abstracts
Pathway Leading To Lower Limb Amputation –
a Danish national registry study
Pia Søe Jensen, Klaus Kirketerp-Møller, Nasrin Faqir, Janne Petersen, Ingrid
Poulsen, Ove Andersen
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Clinical Research Centre, University
Hospital of Copenhagen, Hvidovre ; Department of Orthopedic Surgery,
University Hospital of Copenhagen, Hvidovre ; Clinical Research
Centre, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Hvidovre; Department of
Neurorehabilitation/TBI Unit, Glostrup Hospital, University Hospital of
Copenhagen, Hvidovre
Background:
Patients with non-traumatic lower limb amputation are charac-
terised by high age, multiple medical co-morbidities including lifestyle diseases,
repeated hospital admissions, need of rehabilitation and a high mortality rate.
No papers have described the pathway leading to major lower limb amputations
in Denmark.
Purpose / Aim of Study:
The purpose of this study was to describe patients’
pathway leading to lower limb amputation in Denmark.
Materials and Methods:
A national registry based study. We defined an index
amputation as the first Above Knee amputation (AKA), Below Knee Amputation
(BKA), Foot or Toe Amputation procedure performed respectively. Our cohort
included patients with an index amputation in 2010 or 2011. We included data
on demographic, admissions, diagnoses, surgical procedures and medical treat-
ment 14 years prior to the index operation. Data was provided by Statistics
Denmark.
Findings / Results:
The cohort included 2829 patients with an index amputa-
tion. Of these 1010 (36 %) patients had an AKA, 752 (26%) had a BKA, 986
(35 %) had a foot or ankle amputation, and 81 (3 %) patients had a toe amputa-
tion. In the cohort 63 % was men with a mean age of 71. At time of index am-
putation the mean age for women was 74 and for men 68 years. Furthermore,
71 % were retired and the majorities (53 %) were living alone. For patients with
AKA and BKA 89 % and 86 % respectively, had no prior lower limb a
Conclusions:
A large group of patients begins their pathway with a major am-
putation which indicates that patients were waiting too long to seek medical
advice or that they were without symptoms for a long time. Further analysis of
data will show the distribution of comorbidities such as diabetes and arterio-
sclerosis and use of medical services will provide more information about differ-
ent pathways leading to lower limb amputation.
193.
