ABSTRACT
Historical Perspective • M u ch experience w ith p en etra tin g vascular injuries o f the extrem ities has been
gained d u rin g m ilita ry conflicts. T h e h igh rate o f am p u ta tio n seen d u rin g the A m erican C ivil W ar has progressively declined as d iagnostic a n d surgical tech niques im proved to allow successful repair o f com plex vascular injuries.
