Amputation and Non-Functioning Limb Salvage : Cultural Stigma of Limb Loss

Abstract

A nine-year-old boy involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA), sustained a circumferential degloving injury over his left thigh with a left femoral midshaft open grade IIIb fracture, see figure 1 (A to C). Angiogram revealed no deep vascular injury. His mangled extremity severity score (MESS) was five. A high above knee amputation (AKA) was advised, but his father refused for fear of having a “disabled child”. Surgical debridement was done followed by femoral plating. He was referred to our center for further management of the soft tissue injury. Amputation and Non-Functioning Limb Salvage: Cultural Stigma of Limb Loss