Functional outcome of below-knee amputation in peripheral vascular insufficiency. A multicenter review.

A retrospective functional outcome study was performed on 299 patients treated with below-knee amputations for peripheral vascular disease during a three-year period in six Veterans Administration special amputee centers. Sixty-one percent of the patients were diabetic, and 25% were previously unilateral amputees. Surgery was performed with a long posterior flap in 92.3%, sagittal flaps in 20%, and guillotine open technique in 5.7%. Wound management was accomplished with rigid plaster dressings in 75.3%, pneumatic compression dressing in 14%, and soft dressings in 10.7%. At follow-up evaluation one to two years later, 36.1% had died. Thirteen percent suffered wound complications, with 6.7% requiring revision to a more proximal amputation level. Eighty-seven percent of community ambulators maintained their ambulatory status. A comparable percentage maintained their ability to walk with a prosthesis.