Epidemiology of Surgical Amputations in Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Abstract

The current study aimed to explore the details of surgical amputations in Tamale, Ghana. This was a retrospective descriptive study. We analyzed case files of 112 patients who underwent surgical amputations between 2011 and 2017. Demographics, site of amputation, indication for amputation, and outcomes were retrieved from case files. Descriptive statistics were used to report the means and frequencies. Associations between variables were assessed using Chi-Square, ANOVA, and Students t-test. The mean age of the participants was 43.623.1 years (range 2 to 86). Most (64.3%) were males. Lower limb amputations accounted for most (78.6%) cases. Diabetic vasculopathy was the most prevalent indication (44.6%), followed by trauma (36.6%). The mean hospital stay was 30.122.4 days (range 5 to 120). Surgical site infection (17.9%) was the main complication. In our study setting, there is thus far limited capability for proper management of diabetes mellitus, which needs to be improved. There is also an urgent need for multidisciplinary foot care teams that will help patients receive comprehensive care to reduce complications from diabetes and other vasculopathies.