A Profile of Patients in a VA Amputee System of Care Clinic

In the U.S., between 1988 and 1996, surgeons performed 133,235 amputations annually.(1) In 2005, about 1.7 million persons lived with the loss of a limb. This figure is predicted to more than double to 3.6 million persons by the year 2050.(2) The majority (82%) of these amputations are caused by vascular conditions and often occur with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and renal insufficiency.(1)