Clinical characteristics of patients with lower extremity amputations undergoing rehabilitation at San Juan de Dios hospital in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Introduction: Lower extremity amputation is a common cause of permanent disa¬bility, with over 80% of cases being related to complications from diabetes me¬llitus. However, there is a lack of information regarding the clinical and demo¬graphic features of patients who undergo amputation in public hospitals in Chile.

Materials and methods: An observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was conducted on lower-extremity amputee patients attended by Physiatrists in the ‘Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Occi¬dente’. The sample comprised of transtibial and transfemoral amputee patients attended by a physiatrist in the Service of Rehabilitation at the “Hospital San Juan de Dios” from December 2019 to March 2020.

Results: The database contained information on 75 patients who had undergone lower-ex¬tremity amputations. Of these patients, 88% were men with a mean age of 59.6 years. The majority of the patients (82.6%) had undergone unilateral amputations, predominantly on the lateral right side, and at the transtibial level. The main reason for amputation was diabetes mellitus (85.3%). Only 17.3% of the patients were fitted with lower-extremity prostheses, with most of these being acquired privately. Only 14.7% of the sample returned to work.

Discussion: The acquisition of prostheses presents a barrier to rehabilitating amputee patients with lower extremities. This limitation impacts patients’ ability to walk independently and their probabilities to return to work. Performing a cost-effectiveness study to compare the cost of public funding for lower-extremity prosthesis versus statutory sick leave for lower-extremity amputee patients covered by the Chilean state would be interesting.