title: Predictors of Receiving a Prosthesis for Adults With Above-Knee Amputations in a Well-Defined Population.
abstract: Prior studies have identified age as a factor in determining an individual's likelihood of receiving a prosthesis following a lower limb amputation. These studies are limited to specific subsets of the general population and are unable to account for preamputation characteristics within their study populations. Our study seeks to determine the effect of preamputation characteristics on the probability of receiving a prosthesis for the general population in the United States.
  
  
  
  To identify preamputation characteristics that predict of the likelihood of receiving a prosthesis following an above-knee amputation.
  
  
  
  A retrospective, population-based cohort study.
  
  
  
  Olmsted County, Minnesota (2010 population: 144,248).
  
  
  
  Individuals (n = 93) over the age of 18 years who underwent an above-knee amputation, that is, knee disarticulation or transfemoral amputation, while residing in Olmsted County, MN, between 1987 and 2013.
  
  
  
  Characteristics affecting the receipt of a prosthesis were analyzed using a logistic regression and a random forest algorithm for classification trees. Preamputation characteristics included age, gender, amputation etiology, year of amputation, mobility, cognitive ability, comorbidities, and time between surgery and the prosthesis decision.
  
  
  
  The association of preamputation characteristics with the receipt of a prosthesis following an above-knee amputation.
  
  
  
  Twenty-four of the participants received a prosthesis. The odds of receiving a prosthesis were almost 30 times higher in those able to walk independently prior to an amputation relative to those who could not walk independently. A 10-year increase in age was associated with a 53.8% decrease in the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis (odds ratio = 0.462, P =.030). Time elapsed between surgery and the prosthesis decision was associated with a rise in probability of receiving a prosthesis for the first 3 months in the random forest algorithm. No other observed characteristics were associated with receipt of a prosthesis.
  
  
  
  The association of preamputation mobility and age with the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis is well understood. The effect of age, after controlling for confounders, still persists and is associated with the likelihood of being fit for a prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN(∗).
authors.forename: Benjamin F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Mundell
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN(†).
authors.forename: Hilal Maradit
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kremers
authors.affiliation: Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN(‡).
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Visscher
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN(§).
authors.forename: Kurtis M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester 55905, MN(‖)(#). Electronic address: kaufman.kenton@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Kenton R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Kaufman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D004188:Disarticulation; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee; D016017:Odds Ratio; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012189:Retrospective Studies