Prosthetic use in patients with burns and associated limb amputations

A review of 11 patients who sustained burns that were complicated by limb amputation was completed to determine their eventual ability to use prosthesis. Amputations included six below-elbow, four above-elbow, three below-knee, and three above-knee amputations. Ten of the 11 patients (91%) had open wounds on the stump limbs and nine patients (82%) required skin grafting procedures on the amputated limbs. Delays in prosthetic fitting because of continued surgeries, open wounds, skin grafts on the stump limb, and breakdown of the stump were identified. However, eight of these patients (73%) were eventually able to wear prosthetic devices. Fisher's exact test was used to test the influence of the number and site of the amputations and skin grafting on the stump on successful prosthesis use. None of these tested items were found to be significant. The results demonstrate that most patients with burns who require limb amputation can achieve successful prosthesis use.