Amputations of the upper limb at El Obeid hospital, western Sudan: role of traditional bone setters

ABSTRACT

Extremity amputation is common, but repugnant events to the patient and surgeon alike. Upper limb amputation results in incapacitating functional impairment especially in economically poor settings at developing countries. The aim is to study the pattern, indications and outcomes of upper limb amputations and their predictive factors in patients seen at El Obeid Hospital, Western Sudan. The medical records of patients who underwent upper limb amputations during five years at El Obeid Hospital were reviewed. The data were analyzed for gender, age, causes, level of amputations, outcomes and the possible predictive factors. There were 27 children and 19 adults. Trauma was the sole cause of upper limb amputations in children and was responsible together with burns and animal bites for 68.4% of upper limb amputations in adults. Diabetic sepsis resulted in 5 amputations in adults and all were finger amputations. The main level for amputation was above elbow [65.2%] while below elbow was 13.1% and finger amputations were 21 .7% of cases. There was no mortality among the study group. In adults road traffic accidents [RTA]. diabetic sepsis and machinery injuries were the main causes of upper limb amputations. In children, the main injury was factures due to domestic falls treated by traditional hone setters [TBS], the majority of them were potentially avoidable