Author(s)

Abdurrahman Alhaji Mamuda, Muhammad Nuhu Salihu, Muhammad Kabir Abubakar, Kabir Musa Adamu, Mustapha Ibrahim, Muhammad Ujudud Musa

Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria.
National Orthopaedic Hospital Dala, Kano, Nigeria.
Surgery Department Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria.

Introduction: Amputation is the removal of a body part through a bone, while disarticulation is a removal of a part through a joint. This common procedure has different causes depending on the geographical locations and cultural practices. These ranges from dead body part to malignancy. Our study focused on the profile of the amputees including the biodata, causes and the financial consequences of the procedure. Material and Methods: The case notes of all patients who had amputation from 1998-2012 (15 years) were collected and the biodata, intra-operative diagnosis, parts amputated and duration of hospital stay were retrospectively analysed. Results: One hundred and ninety six patients had various types of amputations for the duration of our study. 159 (81.12%) were males while 37 (18.88%) were females. 68 (34.69%) patients had below knee amputation. 54 (27.55%) had above knee amputation. 27 (13.78%) had above elbow amputation. 18 (9.18%) patients had below elbow amputation, while 30 (15.30%) patients had other forms of amputations. The highest number of amputees (72 patients) was within the age range of 21 - 30 yr and the least number (5 patients) was within the age range of 51 - 60 yr. The highest number of amputation (71 patients) was due to complications from by traditional bone setters intervention. Conclusion: In our study, we found that most cases were males with a mean age of 35 years and majority (34.69%) had below knee amputation, and that most cases suffered vascular occlusion leading to gangrene.

BKA (Below Knee Amputation), AKA (Above Knee Amputation)

Mamuda, A. , Salihu, M. , Abubakar, M. , Adamu, K. , Ibrahim, M. and Musa, M. (2014) Profile of Amputations in National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano. Open Journal of Orthopedics, 4, 200-204. doi: 10.4236/ojo.2014.48033.