ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS AFTER LOWER LIMB AMPUTATION.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Outcomes Research
• Amputee Care

Background:

• Lower extremity amputation presents significant anatomical, functional, psychological, and social challenges impacting patient quality of life.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for developing effective rehabilitation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the quality of life between individuals with lower extremity amputation and those without.
• To investigate the influence of gender and amputation level on quality of life outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 56 participants (28 with lower extremity amputation, 28 controls).
• The Research ANd Development (RAND) 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 (SF-36) was utilized to assess quality of life.
• Participants were categorized by amputation level (transfemoral vs. transtibial).

Main Results:

• Patients with lower extremity amputation reported significantly lower quality of life across all SF-36 variables compared to the control group (p<0.05).
• No significant gender-based differences were observed in SF-36 scores.
• Individuals with transtibial amputations demonstrated higher scores in physical functioning and general health status compared to those with transfemoral amputations (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Lower extremity amputation leads to substantial quality of life limitations, independent of gender.
• Transtibial amputations are associated with better physical functioning outcomes compared to transfemoral amputations.