Amputation, Above-the-Knee Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

If an above-the-knee amputation has been recommended, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Wound breakdown
• Infection
• Non-healing of the amputation site resulting in the need for a higher level of amputation
• Swelling of the stump
• Decreased range of motion in the hip joint
• Phantom pain—feeling pain in amputated limb area
• Phantom limb sensation —feeling that the amputated limb is still there
• Bleeding
• Blood clots
• Reaction to anesthesia

Some factors that increase the risk for complications include:

• Poor blood flow
• Diabetes
• Infection
• Prolonged immobilization
• Heart disease
• Smoking or lung disease
• Blood clotting disorders

Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before surgery.

Call Your Doctor

After you leave the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Increased stump swelling
• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, excessive bleeding, or any discharge from the incision site
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given after surgery, or which persist for more than two days after discharge from the hospital
• Pain that you cannot control with the medicines you have been given
• Poorly fitting prosthesis
• Pain, burning, urgency or frequency of urination, or blood in the urine
• Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Depression
• Joint pain, fatigue, stiffness, rash, or other new symptoms

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.