Some considerations in management of the above-knee geriatric amputee.

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	McCollough, Newton C. Sarmiento, Augusto Williams, E. M. Sinclair, William F.
Copyright Year	1968
Abstract	1 School of Medicine, University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Fla. 33152. The gradual increase in the life span of people in the developed countries of the world has resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of amputees in the older age, or "geriatric," group. A survey by Glattly in 1962 (4) showed that approximately 52 per cent of all amputees fitted with prostheses for the first time were over 50 years of age. Of these patients, 82 per cent had had amputations as a result of disease, 2 per cent because of tumor, and 16 per cent because of trauma. Most of these, of course, were lower-extremity cases. As short a time as 10 years ago, only a relatively few geriatric amputees were provided with limbs, and not much attention was given to the special problems of older patients. However, it has now been demonstrated that, with expert care, older amputees can be fitted with functional prostheses and that the results obtained are well worth the extra efforts required. The below-knee case obviously presents fewer problems as a rule than does the above-knee case, but though surgeons are now saving more and more knee joints there will always be a certain number of above-knee cases that require attention. Just as in the case of younger amputees, geriatric patients should be fitted as soon as possible. The longer the patient goes without a prosthesis, the greater the possibility for the development of contractures, edema, and other undesirable conditions. If the patient is not provided with a prosthesis immediately after the amputation, he should be fitted with a preparatory prosthesis as soon as he is seen by the clinic team. When treating the geriatric amputee, the clinic team must keep in mind constantly that the patient's potential is far from that of an otherwise healthy person, and certain compromises must be made if optimum results are to be achieved. The primary factors to be considered are condition of the skin, muscle tone and strength, coordination and balance, and energy potential.
Starting Page	28
Ending Page	35
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
PubMed reference number	5708215
Journal	Medline
Volume Number	12
Issue Number	2
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://www.oandplibrary.org/al/pdf/1968_02_028.pdf
Journal	Artificial limbs
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article