Amputation

professionals involved in his care while in the hospital and recommend a suitable model of nursing care to promote successful communication and person-centred care. Amputation can be defined as the loss of a part or the whole limb due to disease of the vascular or trauma Dougherty & Lister 2011. Amputation…

A distal transhumeral amputation typically occurs above the elbow. Cheesborough et al. suggest preserving the humerus bone segment at an approximate length of 6 to 8 cm. In addition to the length they recommend fixating the humerus at a 70 degree angle with a metal plate to give the arm rotational and leverage control when using a prosthetic arm (Cheesborough et al.,2015). In addition the shape and length of the residual humerus bone allows for increased suspension of a prosthetic arm (Tintle…

Amputee Coalition (n.d.), reported that, “There are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in the United States,” and “approximately 185,000 amputations occur in the United States each year” (Limb Loss Statistic, par.1). Coherently, amputations are the removal of body extremities resulted from certain illnesses, medical complications, or catastrophic accidents. There are varieties of prostheses for different types of amputations. For example, above knee amputations (AKA) are incisions…

Before I began my research on amputations and prosthetics, I already knew some background information on some of the causes and instruments that are used to treat amputees. I knew that the most common causes of lower extremity amputations are diseases and trauma, and that prosthetics are used to provide functions and ambulation, but I wanted to learn more. What are the other causes of amputations? What are limb loss and limb differences? How can I reduce the risk of amputation? My goal in…

Limb deficiencies resulting from traumatic amputation are a specialized form of trauma. They often do not occur in children, and as such, can be difficult to handle. This trauma is also specifically labor intensive because it affects the child as whole: physically, emotionally, and psychologically. These consequences are persistent, occurring as soon as the trauma does, and continuing long after into the lives of the child and parents. These also mean that the child will require care in…

The Proprioceptive Memory Theory suggests that the pain felt before the amputation creates pain memories within the brain that directly influence the discomfort felt after the amputation by continuing to send pain signals to the brain even when the limb no longer exists (Virani 46). Again, this theory follows the generalization made at the beginning of this essay, furthering the idea that when a hardship is encountered, the brain tries to continue as before the occurrence. Vilayanur S.…

BIID, Bodily Integrity Identity Disorder, formally known as, apotemnophilia (love of amputation), is “a psychologically based condition in which an individual has a fantasy of having a missing limb”("Apotemnophilia ", 2016). In patients diagnosed with BIID who do not receive the surgery they need, the desire to have an amputation is so overbearing that they will go to extreme lengths to conduct the operation themselves. Patients have been known to “pour drain cleaner into her [their]…

amputated limb is still present and phantom limb pain is most commonly seen following the amputation of the arm or leg. The pain felt, may be related to physical or psychological factors, including the weather, or emotional stress, (Flor, 2002). Phantom limb is frequently apparent with physical pain, and this occurs in 50% – 80% of amputees, (Flor, 2002). The pain felt by these amputees can be described as stabbing, burning, tingling, or throbbing. Research has been conducted into understanding…

Amputations were very common during this time, and it is not like what surgery is like in present day. There was no anesthesia yet, so many people drank alcohol prior to the amputation to help dull the pain. Usually, people knew for several days that they would be getting an amputation, so soldiers were known to hoard alcohol rations until day of surgery so that they could be more sedated, per se. The reason why they had to wait is because once the wound is washed out and cleaned thoroughly, the…

essential limbs? One arm, two legs, one hand, two feet, five fingers, and ten toes.What's missing? One arm. Not everyone is lucky enough to have all their limbs. Not everyone is lucky enough to be “normal”. Prosthesis are the solution for someone who has lost a limb and is not ready to give up their life. A prosthetic is a mechanical device that replaces a lost limb. It gives the user the ability to do some of the things they enjoyed before amputation. Prosthetics are created by a patient’s…