- Inform your doctor about the over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbs, or supplements that you might be taking.
- Don’t take drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin, warfarin, and similar medicines that prevent the blood from clotting.
- Stop drinking and smoking if you have a habit of excessive drinking and smoking.
- Enquire about the medicines you may need to take on the day of the amputation surgery.
- Continue taking your medicines for diabetes till the day of the surgery.
- Take your medicines, if any, with a sip of water. In case you are a diabetic patient, abide by the instructions of your doctor.
- Remember to not drink or eat 8 to 12 hours before the amputation surgery or follow other specifications by your doctor.
- Make arrangements for a nurse or medical assistance that you might need after you return home after the surgery.
- Remove objects and barriers in your home on which you might trip, leading to accidents.
Read More : PPBS Test (Post Prandial Blood Sugar): Why and How is it Done?
What happens during an Amputation?
The procedure and severity of the surgery is determined by various factors:
- Part of the limb or arm being amputated
- Complications involved
- Your age and existing health – whether you are suffering from any medical conditions, etc.
Amputation can be undertaken under the influence of general anaesthesia, which is a medically induced sleep, or spinal anaesthesia, which numbs your body down from the waist. During the surgery, the damaged tissue from the affected limb is removed by the surgeon, leaving out on as much of the healthy tissue as possible.
A surgeon usually considers the following to decide the area of the limb to cut and portion of the tissue to remove.
- Checking the pulse in and around the part of the body where the amputation surgery will be undertaken.
- Evaluating the temperature of the skin of the body part that will be amputated and comparing it to the skin temperature of healthy limbs.
- Checking for areas with red skin.
- Checking the sensitivity of the skin of the body part that will be amputated.
Procedure for the surgery that is usually followed by the surgeon is:
- Remove the damaged portion of the tissue and crushed bone, if any;
- Smoothen jagged edges of crushed bone(s);
- Sew the nerves and vessels that have been amputated;
- Cut and shape muscles at the end of the amputated limb, called the stump, so that a prosthetic can be attached to it;
- The surgeon may decide to undertake a closed amputation, wherein the skin flaps of a surgical wound may be either sealed. Alternatively, he/she may decide to not seal the wound, so that additional tissues may be opened if needed;
- A sterile dressing is placed on the surgical wound and then a stocking is placed to hold drainage tubes and bandages together;
- Your limb may be held in place with a splint or in a traction.