The British journal of surgery
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Medical records of all patients, from a defined population of 88,000 inhabitants, who underwent major lower limb amputation during 1980-82 were retrospectively scrutinized. The records showed 131 amputations were performed in 106 patients at the district hospital and 22 amputations on 17 patients at the local university hospital, referral centre, altogether 57 men and 66 women. This gave an amputation incidence of 46 per 10(5) inhabitants per year. ⋯ For patients who came from and eventually returned to their own homes the mean hospital stay amounted to 184 days (postoperative deaths excluded). After amputation 26 patients were trained to wear a prosthesis and 16 of these used the prosthesis 2 years after amputation. The present study underlines the need for prospective and parallel studies of vascular surgery and amputation as well as analyses of the risk factors involved in lower limb ischaemia in defined populations.