Amputations: Losing a limb to save a life
Amputations are sometimes required after an infection or damage to the body is too severe to repair. Following an amputation, the person who had it may need to go through rehabilitation to learn to walk or use their other limbs again. This requires time, patience, and many medical visits.
If you were in a car or motorcycle accident, then you may have suffered a severe injury on impact. A serious burn from flames that erupt or lacerations can lead to injuries so critical that you need to have your limb amputated. Striking your body on the ground after being thrown from your motorcycle could lead to shattered bones that can't be saved. Another possibility could be that your injury became infected, and even with antibiotics, you couldn't get the infection under control. In that case, losing a limb can save a life.
Once you decide or are told that an amputation needs to take place following your crash, you have to prepare for the procedure to take some time. It's normal to stay in the hospital for 14 days or longer after the surgery to monitor the healing of the limb. Depending on the limb that is amputated, the amputation could be a complicated procedure or a shorter procedure.
The procedure makes sure to remove diseased tissues, bone that has been crushed, and to smooth over jagged parts of bone. Blood vessels, nerves, and muscles are also addressed by sealing them and shaping them to suit the need for an artificial limb in the future if one is required.
Source: WebMD, "Amputation Overview," accessed Aug. 13, 2015
