Demographics and replantation.

We reviewed demographic data on 761 patients who had one or more amputated parts replanted at Duke University Medical Center between 1972 and 1984 to learn more about the population that sustained amputation and replantation. Ninety-four percent were from North Carolina and its border states. Persons between ages 21 and 30 years were the most frequently injured. Eighty-five percent of patients were men. Seventy-eight percent of amputations occurred between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. No significant difference in the number of replantations was noted at various months of the year. Fifty-eight percent of amputations were job related, and laceration was the most frequent type of amputation. Time between injury and operation averaged 5 hours 50 minutes. Average operating time was 6 1/2 hours. Thumbs were replanted most frequently, the index and small finger least frequently. Length of hospital stay averaged 9 days. Time out of work averaged 3 months. This data suggest that efforts directed toward employee education, safety, and prevention of injury on the job have the potential of decreasing the largest single cause of amputations in the upper extremities of patients in our area of the United States.