ABSTRACT
Between 5000 and 6000 new amputees are seen in limb-fitting centres in England each year. The commonest reason for amputation is vascular insufficiency (54%) followed by diabetes (20%), trauma (11%), embolism (4%) and malignancy (4%). The overall male to female ratio is 2.5:1, but this tends to equalize as the patients become older. Upper limb amputations usually occur in younger patients as a result of trauma.
