Limb Preservation Program

Amputation Prevention in Southern California

A non-healing wound is often an indicator of a serious disease or infection. As these conditions worsen, the state of the affected area deteriorates and may require amputation. This can be a scary prospect, but it is by no means a guaranteed event. With proper medical treatment, you and your doctor can fight the disease and possibly prevent losing the limb.

USC Arcadia Hospital has developed an evidence-based Limb Prevention program for patients at high risk of amputation. In this program, participants work with a dedicated wound care team who develop a customized treatment plan for the patient's condition.

Disease & Amputation

When a limb has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer heal, it becomes a health hazard and requires amputation. There are a few conditions that may cause this, and most of them can be identified in the occurrence of a non-healing wound.

Patients at high risk of amputation often suffer from:

• Poor circulation - Cardiovascular disease can cause your arteries to narrow, making it difficult for blood to flow to extremities. Without blood, your body does not receive the oxygen and nutrients in needs to survive and the tissues will begin to die.
• Diabetes - One of the possible side effects of diabetes is cardiovascular disease and poor circulation. If you have diabetes and stop feeling sensations in one of your extremities, it may mean blood has stopped flowing to the area. Any area that cannot feel pain is dangerous as it can suffer a wound and get infected without the person realizing until it's too late, thus amputation is required to prevent a potentially life-threatening condition.
• Tumors - If a tumor grows on a bone or muscle and does not respond to treatment, amputation may be the only means to remove it. Our team works to prevent this by applying treatment quickly and diligently monitoring the tumor so we can decide if amputation is necessary or not before the cancer has a chance to spread.
• Infected wounds - When a wound gets infected it needs to be carefully monitored for signs of infections. Without proper antibiotics and treatment, the tissue will die and require amputation.

Our team goes above and beyond to find the root cause of chronic wounds and apply the most effective treatments. We have helped hundreds of patients fight infection and recovery from serious wounds and injury.