Traumatic and Surgical Amputations of Limbs
A traumatic amputation occurs when an accident or unanticipated incident causes a person to lose a limb. In some cases, if the medical team is able to work quickly, the limb may be reattached. If not, it is likely that the injured party will need to undergo surgery to treat the injury. A surgical amputation occurs if the blood supply to an injured limb is lost, the cells in the tissue within the limb will die. This condition is called necrosis. Once this happens, the tissue cannot be repaired and reconstruction is generally no longer an option. If the person’s injury does not heal and necrosis has set in, amputation may be the only option. Serious injuries affecting the legs, feet, and toes may result in a lower-limb amputation, whereas upper-limb amputations affect the fingers, hands, and arms.