Etiologies and Trends in Extremity Amputations: A Ten-Year Single-Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Surgical outcomes

Background:

• Limb amputation presents significant physical, psychological, and social challenges.
• Amputation remains a critical global health issue, especially in areas with high diabetes and vascular disease prevalence.
• This research investigates amputation trends over a decade at a major hospital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze demographic characteristics of amputees.
• To identify the primary causes and trends of amputations.
• To examine amputation patterns over a ten-year period at a tertiary-care center.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 647 patient medical records.
• Data collection included demographics, etiology, amputation level, and admission type.
• Statistical analyses utilized chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and SPSS version 26.0.

Main Results:

• Diabetic complications caused 67.7% of amputations, followed by trauma (11.7%) and vascular disease (11.6%).
• Lower limb amputations were most common, with toe amputations at 39%.
• Vascular surgery and orthopedic surgery were the most involved specialties, with 72% of procedures being emergencies.

Conclusions:

• A significant burden of lower limb amputations is associated with diabetic complications.
• Integrated diabetes care and early interventions are crucial for reducing amputation rates.
• Public health strategies are needed to mitigate the impact of amputations in Saudi Arabia.