Amputation - Reasons And Risks
Roadside accidents are common and they lead to many health problems in which some may require amputation for removal of one of the limbs to save the life of a person.
Amputation is a life-saving procedure by which a part of the body that has suffered irreversible damage is surgically removed. Amputation is only carried out as a last resort when the infection/ decay spread to the other parts of the body.
Why is this procedure needed?
The most common cause of amputation is blockage of blood circulation. Without blood, the tissues do not get oxygen and begin to decay, and an amputation is carried out to stop the damage from spreading to other tissues. As stated above, an amputation is carried out only as a last resort. The surgeon checks the infected part for the following to make sure that an amputation is required:
- Sensation
- Circulation
- Checking for a pulse close to the region where the cut is to be performed
- Comparing skin temperatures with the affected limb
The surgeon tries to bypass arterial blood from the nearest artery to the affected region to rejuvenate the cells. Some reasons of amputation are:
- Severe injury (extreme burns/ vehicular accidents)
- Cancerous tumor in the bone or muscle
- Serious infection, which has stopped responding to antibiotics
- Thickening of nerve tissue called neuroma
- Frostbite
Risks and complications of amputation
Risk of complication is lower in planned amputations than in emergency amputations. In the case of a planned amputation, the surgeon will shape individual muscles for future prosthetic limbs, smooth out rough bones and bone fragments and take care of all the loose ends of the procedure. In emergency amputations, however, the limb is amputated very fast and bleeding is stopped as soon as possible. The following complications may arise as a result of amputation procedures:
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