Medicaltalks over 6 years ago

Trauma but life saved!! A 45-year-old truck driver crash victim (Truck VS Truck)!!

This patient suffered major crush injury to both lower extremities. The surgeons tried to salvage the right limb by reconstruction without success. Usually, when injury is less severe, prompt and thorough debridement/wound excision with external fixation and early soft tissue cover, and interval internal fixation with bone grafting manage to save the leg. The single biggest predictor of the need for early amputation is the loss of neurologic integrity and/or plantar sensation. Clearly, undergoing limb salvage in the hope of ultimately leaving a patient with an insensate, paralyzed extremity is a questionable course to undertake. However, this patient presented with massively injured legs with extensive bone and soft tissue loss. Bilateral transtibial amputation was the best option to save his life in this scenario. Photo by @mundodaortopedia