Some people suffer such a catastrophic injury from a car accident or an incident at work that they face the prospect of losing a limb. A doctor delivers the news that, for one or more reasons, there is no chance to save a part of your body and you will have to undergo amputation, perhaps to save your life.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a traumatic injury is the root cause of nearly 45% of amputations. There are different circumstances that may cause a doctor to decide that amputation is a necessary procedure.
Limbs that suffer severe damage
In some cases, you might suffer such a strong injury that a hand or a foot is beyond saving. A crush injury is one example. Some workers get caught beneath or against a large piece of machinery. Although they survive the experience, the force of the crush injury so badly ravages a limb that doctors cannot repair or reconstruct it.
Burns are another example. A burn that is severe enough may destroy skin, muscle and nerve tissue and render the limb so badly damaged that doctors can do nothing to save it. In some other cases, a workplace injury may tear away part of an arm or leg and doctors have to remove the remaining part of the limb.
Infected tissue
If you suffer a serious wound, it is important for doctors to tend to it as soon as possible. An open wound exposes your body to harmful pathogens like bacteria. It is possible after an injury to contract a deadly infection that could destroy the tissue of your infected limb. Sometimes a doctor has no choice but to amputate the infected part of your body to prevent severe danger to your health.
Loss of blood flow
A severe injury can also deprive parts of your body of blood flow. If you have a hand or foot that does not receive blood for a long period of time, the tissue could start to die. A common example is frostbite, which causes damage to blood vessels in toes and fingers. Eventually, this condition may necessitate amputation.
Amputation may also result from health conditions like vascular disease. In such cases, another party may have no liability for your amputation. However, if you do lose a limb due to an injury, you may look at your situation to see if a negligent party was responsible for your condition.
