Rigid dressings versus soft dressings for transtibial amputations

Abstract

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of rigid dressings versus soft dressings for treating transtibial amputations. B A C K G R O U N D Description of the condition Lower limb amputation can result from non-traumatic causes (e.g. dysvascular disease, malignancy and congenital deficiencies) or traumatic causes (e.g. war injuries and work accidents) (Varma 2014; Ziegler-Graham 2008). Amongst these causes, dysvascular disease is most common and includes diseases such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease (Varma 2014; Ziegler-Graham 2008). The incidence of lower limb amputation is estimated to be 24 per 100,000 in the USA (Moxey 2011), and 26 per 100,000 in the UK (Ahmad 2014). These estimates increase in people with diabetes, and estimates range from 410 to 3100 per 100,000 in the USA and from 147 to 248 per 100,000 in the UK (Moxey 2011). Trauma is the second most common cause of limb loss (Varma 2014; Ziegler-Graham 2008), and accounts for 16% of amputations in the USA (Tintle 2010), and 7% to 9% of amputations 1 Rigid dressings versus soft dressings for transtibial amputations (Protocol)