Biomaterial Database

Amputation for peripheral vascular disease: the case for level selection. 1988

P T McCollum, and V A Spence, and W F Walker

Department of Vascular Surgery, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK.

One hundred major lower limb amputations were performed for end stage peripheral vascular disease over a 15-month period. Selection of amputation level was made on the basis of laboratory criteria using skin blood flow and infrared thermography data. Eighty-one amputations were performed at the below-knee level with six failures. This resulted in a final below-knee: above-knee amputation ratio of 3:1. It is clear that there are still many centres in the UK where above-knee amputation is the accepted operation, despite the inherent drawbacks to this procedure. We recommend that more attention is given to achieving higher below-knee amputation rates to improve the chances of amputee mobility and therefore quality of life.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007717	Knee	A region of the lower extremity immediately surrounding and including the KNEE JOINT.
D007866	Leg	The inferior part of the lower extremity between the KNEE and the ANKLE.	Legs
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D003925	Diabetic Angiopathies	VASCULAR DISEASES that are associated with DIABETES MELLITUS.	Diabetic Vascular Complications,Diabetic Vascular Diseases,Microangiopathy, Diabetic,Angiopathies, Diabetic,Angiopathy, Diabetic,Diabetic Angiopathy,Diabetic Microangiopathies,Diabetic Microangiopathy,Diabetic Vascular Complication,Diabetic Vascular Disease,Microangiopathies, Diabetic,Vascular Complication, Diabetic,Vascular Complications, Diabetic,Vascular Disease, Diabetic,Vascular Diseases, Diabetic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000671	Amputation, Surgical	The surgical removal of part of, or all of, a limb or other appendage or outgrowth of the body.	Amputation,Amputation, Multiple, Surgical,Multiple Amputation, Surgical,Surgical Amputation Procedures,Amputation Procedure, Surgical,Amputation Procedures, Surgical,Amputation, Surgical Multiple,Amputations,Amputations, Surgical,Amputations, Surgical Multiple,Multiple Amputations, Surgical,Procedure, Surgical Amputation,Procedures, Surgical Amputation,Surgical Amputation,Surgical Amputation Procedure,Surgical Amputations,Surgical Multiple Amputation,Surgical Multiple Amputations
D012867	Skin	The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D013524	Surgical Flaps	Tongues of skin and subcutaneous tissue, sometimes including muscle, cut away from the underlying parts but often still attached at one end. They retain their own microvasculature which is also transferred to the new site. They are often used in plastic surgery for filling a defect in a neighboring region.	Island Flap,Island Flaps,Flap, Surgical,Flaps, Surgical,Pedicled Flap,Surgical Flap,Flap, Island,Flap, Pedicled,Flaps, Island,Flaps, Pedicled,Pedicled Flaps
D013817	Thermography	Imaging the temperatures in a material, or in the body or an organ. Imaging is based on self-emanating infrared radiation (HEAT WAVES), or on changes in properties of the material or tissue that vary with temperature, such as ELASTICITY; MAGNETIC FIELD; or LUMINESCENCE.	Temperature Mapping,Mapping, Temperature,Mappings, Temperature,Temperature Mappings
D014652	Vascular Diseases	Pathological processes involving any of the BLOOD VESSELS in the cardiac or peripheral circulation. They include diseases of ARTERIES; VEINS; and rest of the vasculature system in the body.	Disease, Vascular,Diseases, Vascular,Vascular Disease