Rehabilitation of the bilateral amputee.

One hundred sixteen patients with bilateral amputation as a result of severe ischemia were reviewed to evaluate their rehabilitation potential. Seventy patients were male and 46 were female; ages ranged from 31 to 92 years (mean 68 years). The operative mortality rate after the second amputation was 9.5% (11 of 116 patients). The time from the first to second amputation ranged from zero to 144 months (mean 23 months). Follow-up from 1 to 14 years was available on all patients. Sixty percent of the patients surviving the postoperative period were alive at 2 years and 40% at 5 years. Of the 105 patients available for follow-up, only 27 (26%) were able to use bilateral prostheses. Twenty-three (85%) of these patients were ambulatory after their first amputation. Four patients not walking after their first amputation became ambulatory after their second. All four had bilateral below-knee amputations. Of the 78 patients unable to use a bilateral prosthesis, 68 (87%) were able to function independently and 10 became bedridden. Successful prosthetic rehabilitation in the bilateral amputee appears primarily dependent on the use of a prosthesis after the first amputation. The acceptable long-term survival and the number of patients who became independent in their activities justify an aggressive approach to the rehabilitation of the bilateral amputee.