Long-term follow-up of unilateral transfemoral amputees from the Vietnam war.
BACKGROUND
Despite their frequency, few reports exist concerning the initial and long-term consequences of battle-incurred unilateral transfemoral amputations.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort design was used to measure the long-term health of transfemoral battle amputees treated at a single hospital during the Vietnam War. Data collection consisted of medical record abstraction and a follow-up questionnaire that included the SF-36 Health Survey.


RESULTS
Forty-six patients responded to the survey an average of 28 years after injury. Compared with the controls, patient responses to the SF-36 were significantly (p < 0.01) less in all categories except Mental Health and Vitality. Forty-three (93.5%) are or have been married. Forty-one (89.1%) are or have been employed an average of 20.1 years. Forty patients (87%) wore a prosthesis an average of 13.5 h/day.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the patients do relatively well with employment and marriage stability, the low SF-36 scores suggest a significant disability.
Dougherty
Paul J
PJ
United States Army Medical Corps, Department of Surgery, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas 79920, USA. paul.dougherty@amedd.army.mil
D000674:Amputees / Q000523:psychology; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014744:Vietnam; D014857:Warfare