Summary
Patients treated with amputation had similar long-term functional and emotional outcomes
as patients treated with reconstructive surgery. When considering reconstructive surgery
over primary amputation, one must consider the risk of secondary amputation (range
5-14%), potential complications (generally higher among reconstructive surgery patients),
and length of hospital stay. The literature is limited to a paucity of cohort studies
that make this comparison, which may be confounded by severity of the fracture since
patients with more severe tibial fractures (Gustilo type III C versus type III B)
are more likely to be treated by amputation.
