Traumatic Amputation Overview
Traumatic amputation is the accidental severing of some or all of a body part. A complete amputation totally detaches a limb or appendage from the rest of the body. In a partial amputation, some soft tissue remains attached to the site. Traumatic amputation most often affects limbs and appendages like the arms, ears, feet, fingers, hands, legs, and nose.
For service members, traumatic amputations usually result directly from military combat operations, as well as military equipment and motor vehicle accidents. There are various complications associated with accidental amputation of a body part; the most important of these are bleeding, shock, and infection.
Key points
- Traumatic amputation remains very common following combat or terrorist wounding.
- With the significant advances in resuscitation, proximal and multiple amputations are being increasingly seen in survivors.
- As a result of the effects of the explosion, considerable tissue trauma occurs.
- Nerve injury is common. With time, the functional level of the amputee may fall.
- These injuries remain a significant problem to health services following wars.
Traumatic Amputation Symptoms
- Short-Term:
- Bleeding
- Shock
- Infection
- Long-Term:
- PTSD, Anxiety and Depression
- Nerve injury
- Decreasing functional level of amputee
- Chronic pain
Traumatic Amputation Treatment
The success of post-amputation rehabilitation depends on many factors, including:
- Your age and medical history
- Your general health, diet, fitness and lifestyle
- Which body part is amputated
- The surgical approach
Smoking is a major obstacle to successful recovery. Smoking can cause post-surgical complications, slower healing and worsening vascular disease.
Long-term rehabilitation and support
- Physical and occupational therapy: Critical to rebuild strength, balance, and function. Therapists help with exercises and may also assist with learning new ways to perform daily tasks.
- Prosthetics: A prosthetic limb may be an option, depending on overall health and type of amputation.
- Psychological support: Traumatic amputations can cause significant emotional and psychological trauma, including grief, anger, and fear. Psychological support, such as counseling and support groups, is vital for recovery.
The long-term outcome for amputees has improved due to better understanding of the management of traumatic amputation, early emergency and critical care management, new surgical techniques, early rehabilitation, and new prosthetic designs. New limb replantation or reattachment techniques have been moderately successful, but incomplete nerve regeneration remains a major limiting factor. Oftentimes the patient will have a better outcome from having a well-fitted, functional prosthesis, rather than a nonfunctional replanted limb.
Despite many advances, traumatic amputation and surgical amputation remain very common following combat or terrorist wounding, and the injury pattern is different from anything experienced from civilian trauma. Owing to the effects of the explosion, considerable tissue trauma occurs to many structures and, with advances in resuscitation, high and multiple amputations are being increasingly seen in survivors.