Amputation

Amputation is the surgical removal of an entire or part of limb, or any other part such as an arm, foot, leg, hand, toe, or finger.

Reasons for Amputation

There are a lot of reasons why an amputation may be required. The most general reason is bad circulation caused by damaged arteries. Without sufficient blood flow, the cells cannot receive oxygen and nutrients they require from the bloodstream. Consequently, the damaged tissue starts to die and infection may form.

Other reasons for amputation are:

• Severe injury
• Cancerous tumors in a bone or muscle
• Serious infection that doesn’t heal with antibiotics
• Thickening of nerve tissue
• Frostbite

An orthopaedic doctor in Kolkata uses numerous methods to decide where to cut. These are:

• Comparing skin temperatures of the damaged limb
• Looking for reddened areas in skin