Lower limb amputations facilitated by surgeons at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) – one of the biggest tertiary academic hospitals in the country – is increasing rapidly. And the question researchers and clinicians are asking is: Why?

Is it linked to patients’ socio-economic conditions, a lack of health resources or limited easy access to healthcare facilities? For Dr Katleho Limakatso, an honorary senior lecturer in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, it was important to find answers to these questions, to identify patients predisposed to amputations and to better care and support them in the short-, medium- and long-term.

This kicked off his research mission, which started with pooling together dozens of patients who had previously undergone lower limb amputations at GSH, analysing the data to understand their sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education level and income), previous and current health conditions and what they have in common.

“By examining these factors, the study sought to improve our understanding of the patient population and identify factors predisposing patients to amputations – all this to better inform clinical practice and interventions aimed at preventing limb amputations to improve the outcome for patients,” Dr Limakatso said.

Read the full story on FHS News.