Four years' experience of limb replantation in Saudi Arabia: a clinical review.
This is a review of 70 patients with traumatic limb and digit amputations treated at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from April 1984 to April 1988. Out of 70 cases 34 were not suitable for replantation. In the remaining 36 patients replantation or revascularization was attempted on 46 units. The data are discussed and compared with other published series. Our net survival rate was 67.4 per cent. The survival rate improved from 62.8 per cent in the first 2 years to 81.8 per cent in the subsequent 2 years. The average hospital stay (34 days) was much longer than that reported from developed countries. The increased emergency workload due to a high incidence of referral of unsuitable cases and the longer hospital stay should be taken into account while establishing a replant service in a developing country. Eighteen cases were followed up for more than 1 year; of these, 61 per cent had good (grade I or grade II) functional recovery. The survival rate and functional recovery improved with increased experience and this is a strong argument in favour of centralizing the replant services.
Plastic Surgery Division, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
P
P
Kumar
M T
MT
Hussain
E
E
Cardoso
J
J
Hassanain
D000059:Accidents; D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005121:Extremities / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D012092:Replantation / Q000534:rehabilitation