Multidisciplinary Amputation Team Management of Individuals with Limb Loss

Purpose of the Review: To demonstrate the utility of the multidisciplinary team and the role of each member in caring for persons with limb loss, from pre-amputation to lifelong care. Recent Findings: By ensuring patient-centered care through shared decision-making, persons with limb loss report improved adjustment following amputation. Various medical, physical, and psychosocial factors have been shown to correlate with post-amputation outcomes and should be assessed pre-amputation by the team. Persons with limb loss are at increased risk for re-amputation and secondary disabling conditions that the team should monitor lifelong. Summary: To provide comprehensive, patient-centered care, a multidisciplinary team needs to be assembled, each member providing their area of expertise. By creating the specialized team, the patient can be educated on their potential outcomes, monitored for mental health conditions, and their function can be optimized. Lifelong care is required to monitor for complications of comorbidities or development of secondary disabling conditions and to enhance quality of life.