The causes of readmission in patients with lower limb amputation due to ischemia

Abstract

Background: Considering the importance of quality of life for patients with amputation, and the need for rehabilitation and improving their quality of life after surgery, this study assessed the causes of readmission of patients who underwent amputation due to lower limb ischemia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 patients admitted to Kashani and Alzahra hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran, during the years 2015 to 2018, according to the inclusion criteria of the study. The rate of hospitalization and related causes in these patients was evaluated. The confidence interval (CI) of 95 was considered for data analysis. Findings: In this study, 67 patients (33.5) needed readmission; the most frequent causes of readmission were infected of amputation place (68.7), cardiovascular problems (14.9), coagulation disorders (7.5), and other causes (9.0), respectively. 74.6 of readmitted patients had wound problems, and 16.4 had thromboembolic events. On the other hand, the mean duration of hospitalization in patients was 13.05 ± 4.09 days. Eventually, of patients who were readmitted, 82.1 had complete recovery, 14.9 had complications, and 3.0 had died. Conclusion: Care of the surgical site and wound in patients undergoing any intervention in the lower limbs, and prevention of surgical site infection can significantly reduce the rate of readmission in these patients. © 2019, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.