ABSTRACT
Lower extremity amputation is one of the oldest and most commonly performed surgical procedures and yet has undergone very few modifications since its inception. Despite advances in limb-salvage surgery, lower extremity amputation is still commonly required as an end result of the progression of arterial occlusive disease or failed arterial reconstruction. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of diabetes has led to the appearance of more patients with foot complications leading to eventual lower extremity amputation. In 1993, some 98,000 lower extremity amputations were performed in nonfederal acute care hospitals (1).
