Day 61 and 62: How i did my first amputation

We cancelled our cases today because our house refused to submit operation list to peri-operative nurse, orthopaedic ward and anaesthesia department.

My boss gave me query and gave the house officer a week extension in orthopaedics.

It is not easy to be a leader.

We reschedule the surgery to the following day.

This morning I did a quick revision of amputation, hoping my consultant will allow me to do the surgery.

Thank God, after some begging and proof of my capability to handle the case he oblige me.

Well it went well and I am very happy I was able to do the amputation successfully.

I made two equal anterior and posterior skin flaps at about 12cm proximal to the knee joint. I expected the skin to retract proximally and so it did. I cut the fascia just at edge of the retracted skin to expose the thigh muscles. I then raise my muscle flap at the cut edge of the fascia. However, on the medial side I have to dissect the muscles layer by layer to avoid cutting the big vessels. I identified the sciatic nerve, retract it upward and cut. I separated the femoral artery from vein clamped, tied and cut.

I exposed the femoral bone by pushing the soft tissues upward and then saw off the bone. I chiselled off the edge and then closed each flap layer by layer.

I hope I have a wonderful postoperative period.