Below-the-Knee Amputation Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

Your doctor will review the possible complications. These may include:

• Poor healing of the amputation site requiring a higher level amputation
• Skin breakdown at the stump
• Infection
• Decreased range of motion in the hip or knee
• Phantom sensation —feeling that the amputated limb is still there
• Phantom pain —feeling pain in the amputation area
• Stump swelling
• Bleeding
• Reaction to anesthesia
• Heart attack
• Blood clots

Factors that may increase your risk of complications include:

• Poor blood flow
• Diabetes
• Infection or open leg/foot ulcers
• Not being able to move for a long time
• Heart disease
• Smoking or lung disease
• Advanced age
• History of clotting or bleeding disorders

Discuss these risks with your doctor before surgery.

Call Your Doctor

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

• Stump swelling
• Poorly fitting prosthesis
• Pain that is not controlled with pain medicines given
• Signs of infection, like fever or chills
• Redness, swelling, increasing pain, a lot of bleeding, or discharge from the incision site
• Nausea and/or vomiting that you cannot control with the medicines you were given, or which continue for more than two days after leaving the hospital
• Depression
• Cough , shortness of breath, or chest pain
• Joint pain, fatigue, stiffness, rash, or other new symptoms

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.