The effect of semirigid dressings on below-knee amputations.
OBJECTIVE
The effect of using semirigid dressings (SRDs) on the residual limb of individuals who have had below-knee amputations as a consequence of peripheral vascular disease was investigated, with the primary question being: Does the time to readiness for prosthetic fitting for patients treated with the SRDs differ from that of patients treated with soft dressings?


METHODS
Forty patients entered the study and were alternately assigned to one of two groups. Nineteen patients were assigned to the SRD group, and 21 patients were assigned to the soft dressing group.


METHODS
The time from surgery to readiness for prosthetic fitting was recorded for each patient. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated for each group, and the results were analyzed with the log-rank test.


RESULTS
There was a difference between the two curves, and an examination of the curves suggests that the expected time to readiness for prosthetic fitting for patients treated with the SRDs would be less than half that of patients treated with soft dressings.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that a patient may be ready for prosthetic fitting sooner if treated with SRDs instead of soft dressings.
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Calgary, Canada.
N
N
MacLean
G H
GH
Fick
D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001458:Bandages; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D007866:Leg; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models