The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Deliwe Mangowela; Esther Munalula-Nkandu; Kangwa M. Chileshe; Hastings Shula; Loveness A. Nkhata

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

Deliwe Mangowela, Esther Munalula-Nkandu, Kangwa M. Chileshe, Hastings Shula, Loveness A. Nkhata

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 6)

Received: 14 September 2015 Accepted: 13 October 2015 Published: 28 October 2015

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Abstract

Introduction: While major limb amputations are reported to be a major surgical procedure that is a preventable public health problem, they are associated with profound economic, social and psychological effects on the patient, family and the country at large. There is however, limited data on the epidemiological features of amputations in developing countries where the impact is huge due to poor prosthetic services and unaffordable costs where services are available. The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiological features of amputations done at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Data was collected using a checklist. The study was retrospective and descriptive in nature. Convenient sampling was used on records of patients who underwent major limb amputations between 2013 and 2014. Results: Out of 84 records that were reviewed, the commonest indication for amputation was trauma 29.8% (n=25), followed by Diabetic complications 21.4% (n=18) and the prevalent age group was 31-50 years 35.8% (n=30). Men were the most affected (70.2%; n=59) giving a ratio of 2.3:1. Lower limbs were more frequent 75% (n=63) than upper limbs 25% (n=21) ratio 3:1. Above knee amputation was the commonest procedure accounting for 45.2% (n=38) cases. Conclusion: Trauma and diabetes were the common indications for amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia and mostly affected is the productive age group of 31-50 years. Given that both are non-communicable conditions we can conclude that the majority of the amputations could have been prevented with the behaviour change and adherence to traffic regulations by drivers, more road safety education for road users, health education, early presentation and intervention on patients plus appropriate management of the common indications.

Published in	Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15
Page(s)	825-829
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Amputations, Epidemiological, Indications, Features, Limbs, Trauma, Diabetes, Zambia

References

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APA Style

Deliwe Mangowela, Esther Munalula-Nkandu, Kangwa M. Chileshe, Hastings Shula, Loveness A. Nkhata. (2015). The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(6), 825-829. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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Deliwe Mangowela; Esther Munalula-Nkandu; Kangwa M. Chileshe; Hastings Shula; Loveness A. Nkhata. The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(6), 825-829. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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AMA Style

Deliwe Mangowela, Esther Munalula-Nkandu, Kangwa M. Chileshe, Hastings Shula, Loveness A. Nkhata. The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(6):825-829. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15,
  author = {Deliwe Mangowela and Esther Munalula-Nkandu and Kangwa M. Chileshe and Hastings Shula and Loveness A. Nkhata},
  title = {The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6},
  pages = {825-829},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150306.15},
  abstract = {Introduction: While major limb amputations are reported to be a major surgical procedure that is a preventable public health problem, they are associated with profound economic, social and psychological effects on the patient, family and the country at large. There is however, limited data on the epidemiological features of amputations in developing countries where the impact is huge due to poor prosthetic services and unaffordable costs where services are available. The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiological features of amputations done at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Data was collected using a checklist. The study was retrospective and descriptive in nature. Convenient sampling was used on records of patients who underwent major limb amputations between 2013 and 2014. Results: Out of 84 records that were reviewed, the commonest indication for amputation was trauma 29.8% (n=25), followed by Diabetic complications 21.4% (n=18) and the prevalent age group was 31-50 years 35.8% (n=30). Men were the most affected (70.2%; n=59) giving a ratio of 2.3:1. Lower limbs were more frequent 75% (n=63) than upper limbs 25% (n=21) ratio 3:1. Above knee amputation was the commonest procedure accounting for 45.2% (n=38) cases. Conclusion: Trauma and diabetes were the common indications for amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia and mostly affected is the productive age group of 31-50 years. Given that both are non-communicable conditions we can conclude that the majority of the amputations could have been prevented with the behaviour change and adherence to traffic regulations by drivers, more road safety education for road users, health education, early presentation and intervention on patients plus appropriate management of the common indications.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia
AU - Deliwe Mangowela
AU - Esther Munalula-Nkandu
AU - Kangwa M. Chileshe
AU - Hastings Shula
AU - Loveness A. Nkhata
Y1 - 2015/10/28
PY - 2015
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15
DO - 10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15
T2 - Science Journal of Public Health
JF - Science Journal of Public Health
JO - Science Journal of Public Health
SP - 825
EP - 829
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2328-7950
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15
AB - Introduction: While major limb amputations are reported to be a major surgical procedure that is a preventable public health problem, they are associated with profound economic, social and psychological effects on the patient, family and the country at large. There is however, limited data on the epidemiological features of amputations in developing countries where the impact is huge due to poor prosthetic services and unaffordable costs where services are available. The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiological features of amputations done at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Data was collected using a checklist. The study was retrospective and descriptive in nature. Convenient sampling was used on records of patients who underwent major limb amputations between 2013 and 2014. Results: Out of 84 records that were reviewed, the commonest indication for amputation was trauma 29.8% (n=25), followed by Diabetic complications 21.4% (n=18) and the prevalent age group was 31-50 years 35.8% (n=30). Men were the most affected (70.2%; n=59) giving a ratio of 2.3:1. Lower limbs were more frequent 75% (n=63) than upper limbs 25% (n=21) ratio 3:1. Above knee amputation was the commonest procedure accounting for 45.2% (n=38) cases. Conclusion: Trauma and diabetes were the common indications for amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia and mostly affected is the productive age group of 31-50 years. Given that both are non-communicable conditions we can conclude that the majority of the amputations could have been prevented with the behaviour change and adherence to traffic regulations by drivers, more road safety education for road users, health education, early presentation and intervention on patients plus appropriate management of the common indications.
VL - 3
IS - 6
ER -

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Author Information

Deliwe Mangowela

University of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, ZambiaUniversity of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
Esther Munalula-Nkandu

University of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
Kangwa M. Chileshe

University of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
Hastings Shula

University of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia
Loveness A. Nkhata

University of Zambia, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia

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Deliwe Mangowela, Esther Munalula-Nkandu, Kangwa M. Chileshe, Hastings Shula, Loveness A. Nkhata. (2015). The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(6), 825-829. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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ACS Style

Deliwe Mangowela; Esther Munalula-Nkandu; Kangwa M. Chileshe; Hastings Shula; Loveness A. Nkhata. The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(6), 825-829. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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AMA Style

Deliwe Mangowela, Esther Munalula-Nkandu, Kangwa M. Chileshe, Hastings Shula, Loveness A. Nkhata. The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(6):825-829. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15

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@article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15,
  author = {Deliwe Mangowela and Esther Munalula-Nkandu and Kangwa M. Chileshe and Hastings Shula and Loveness A. Nkhata},
  title = {The Epidemiological Features of Amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia},
  journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6},
  pages = {825-829},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150306.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150306.15},
  abstract = {Introduction: While major limb amputations are reported to be a major surgical procedure that is a preventable public health problem, they are associated with profound economic, social and psychological effects on the patient, family and the country at large. There is however, limited data on the epidemiological features of amputations in developing countries where the impact is huge due to poor prosthetic services and unaffordable costs where services are available. The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiological features of amputations done at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods: Data was collected using a checklist. The study was retrospective and descriptive in nature. Convenient sampling was used on records of patients who underwent major limb amputations between 2013 and 2014. Results: Out of 84 records that were reviewed, the commonest indication for amputation was trauma 29.8% (n=25), followed by Diabetic complications 21.4% (n=18) and the prevalent age group was 31-50 years 35.8% (n=30). Men were the most affected (70.2%; n=59) giving a ratio of 2.3:1. Lower limbs were more frequent 75% (n=63) than upper limbs 25% (n=21) ratio 3:1. Above knee amputation was the commonest procedure accounting for 45.2% (n=38) cases. Conclusion: Trauma and diabetes were the common indications for amputations at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia and mostly affected is the productive age group of 31-50 years. Given that both are non-communicable conditions we can conclude that the majority of the amputations could have been prevented with the behaviour change and adherence to traffic regulations by drivers, more road safety education for road users, health education, early presentation and intervention on patients plus appropriate management of the common indications.},
 year = {2015}
}

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