Chapter 2
Hospital Timelines After Amputation and Dermatologic Considerations
Basic Timeline Overview
If we consider Day 0 as the date of the amputation or surgery, the subsequent recovery can be organized into distinct phases, each with specific goals and interventions. The timeline presented here represents a general framework; individual patient factors will influence the actual progression.
| Timeframe | Phase | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Surgery | Amputation procedure |
| Days 1–4 | Acute Hospital Course | Wound healing, pain management, PT initiation, disposition planning |
| Days 5–21 | Rehabilitation | AR/SAR/home; wound healing, pre-prosthetic PT, limb shaping |
| Days 21–28 | Suture Removal | Suture removal (~3 weeks traumatic, ~4-6 weeks diabetic); begin prosthetic evaluation |
| Day 28+ (post-suture removal) |
Prosthetic Fitting & Integration | Prosthesis fabrication (~4–6 weeks), PT/OT, community integration |
Table 1: General Timeline Following Major Limb Amputation.
Abbreviations: AR, acute rehabilitation; SAR, subacute rehabilitation; PT, physical therapy; OT, occupational therapy.