title: Ischaemic wound complications in above-knee amputations in relation to the skin perfusion pressure.
abstract: Healing of the stumps in 59 above-knee amputations was correlated with the local skin perfusion pressure (SPP) measured preoperatively as the external pressure required to stop isotope washout using 131I-(-) or 125I-(-) antipyrine mixed with histamine. Out of the 11 cases with an SPP below 30 mmHg no fewer than 9 (82 per cent) suffered wound complications. Out of the 48 cases with an SPP above 30 mmHg severe wound complications occurred in only 4 cases (8 per cent). The difference in wound complication rate is highly significant (P < 0.01). It is concluded that the SPP can be used to predict ischaemic wound complications in above-knee amputations as has previously been shown to be the case in below-knee amputations.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007511:Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010477:Perfusion; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011312:Pressure; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013848:Thigh / Q000098:blood supply*
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes