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Is Amputation Required For A Broken Right Tibia And Fibula?

Posted on Mon, 4 Jul 2016

Question: A friend of mine broke her right tibia and fibula on Saturday. She has had 4 surguries and the surgeon has said twice to be prepared that she might need an amputation. They are taking a wait and see approach at the moment. She has asked that I advocate for her. She is currently inpatient at a small regional hospital. UCSF is 40 miles away and I think she should get a second opinion ASAP. The clinic does not open until 8 am (it is 8:46 pm right now). UCSF needs the MD to call them to start the transfer process. I have just spoken to the RN attending her and he is reluctant to do anything because he is busy and does not know how to get the 2nd opinion transfer started. I want to know if waiting 12 hours will make it more likely that she will need an amputation. She developed compartment syndrome after the first surgery, they relieved pressure on the 2nd and now have put in a wound vac., (not sure what happened on 3rd surgery)

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
WAIT AND GO TO UCSF.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
It is not urgent to do amputation ,WAIT OF 12 HRS WILL NOT INCREASE THE CHANCE OF AMPUTATION.Elevate the limb ,active toes movement as possible,antibiotics,and tripsin and chymotripsin will help her and have faith on GOD.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar