title: Epidemiology of leg amputation: the influence of vascular surgery.
abstract: The number of amputations performed for vascular disease in Denmark has decreased from 1777 (34.5 per 100,000 population) in 1983 to 1288 (25.0 per 100,000) in 1990, a reduction of 28 per cent. This decline coincided with an increase in vascular surgical activity of up to 100 per cent, including a marked rise in the rate of femorodistal reconstruction. Moreover, regional variation in vascular surgical activity correlated with percentage reduction in amputation rate (rS = 0.65, P < 0.01). The relative number of above-knee amputations also decreased in favour of more distal levels during the period studied. These findings suggest that vascular surgery may be responsible for the lower amputation rate.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: L B
authors: LB
authors: Ebskov
authors: T V
authors: TV
authors: Schroeder
authors: P E
authors: PE
authors: Holstein
mesh_terms: D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*