Prevalence and Pattern of Major Limb Amputation and its Associated Factors Among Patients Admitted to Pediatric and Adult Orthopedic Wards at Three Public Hospitals in

Abstract

Limb Amputation (LA) is a surgical procedure for the removal of a limb which is indicated when limb recovery is impossible. It is one of the oldest surgical procedures with a history of over 2500 years. It is estimated that 1.2 million individuals are living with an amputation; and that 185,000 are performed each year worldwide. In Ethiopia most prior research concerning limb amputation has focused almost exclusively on lower limb amputation and there is little information regarding the prevalence of limb amputation.