PM&R News   •   March 2019

For years amputation was standard of care after severe limb trauma but recently the paradigm has been swinging to limb salvage over amputation. This multicenter, prospective observational study aimed to look at outcomes of amputation vs limb salvage. Over 500 patients were enrolled and the sickness impact profile was used to assess severe disability.   Complication rates and the status of the limb were also evaluated over two years.  At the two year point, there were no significant difference in scores for the sickness impact profile between the two groups and both groups had similar functional outcomes. Patients who underwent reconstruction were more likely to be hospitalized with complications but both groups had similar return to work status.  These results are interesting as the patient can be advised that they will likely have similar outcomes with amputation vs salvage.  Maybe this likely comes down to a cosmetic concern?