| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 28
| Issue : 1 | Page : 49-55 |
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Factors influencing quality of life after lower extremity amputation
Dantis John Thomas, CV Rajendran
Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Dantis John Thomas
Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram - 695 011, Kerala
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/ksj.ksj_20_22
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Background: Despite the fact that patients with critical limb ischaemia, diabetic foot, advanced malignancies and major trauma to extremities undergo lower limb amputation, the personal satisfaction or quality of life (QoL) of such patients remains inadequately portrayed. This study tried to portray which spaces' amputees consider significant in deciding their well-being related QoL. Objective: To study the factors influencing QoL of patients who have undergone lower extremity amputation attending the department of general surgery of a tertiary hospital and to compare the QoL of amputee population with that of general population. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study. The study population included patients who underwent lower extremity amputation in the department. 110 subjects, aged above 18 years, who have undergone lower extremity amputation and who consented to take part in the study were included. Results: The QoL as calculated from the Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores, using short-form-36 questionnaire showed that the physical health and the mental health (MH) both were significantly low in the amputee population. It was seen that gender with female sex having a better physical health quality compared to the male sex. Gender, use of prosthetic devise, stump infections and employment status contributed to MH quality. The QoL of an individual was severely altered following amputation. Both physical and MH domains were significantly reduced in an amputee compared to the general population. Gender influenced both the mental and physical QoL, with females performing better. Use of prosthesis was seen to be significant in MH. This underscores the need for proper rehabilitation programmes. Conclusion: The factors recognised should be seriously addressed in order to improve the QoL of lower limb amputees.
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