Post-operative instructions are essential to preventing recurrent infection after amputation.

Abstract

In patients with diabetic foot ulcerations undergoing amputation there is not only a need to prevent further ulceration, but re-operation and further amputation. A common practice but one often not studied is through the use of providing timely and thorough post-operative instructions to educate the patient on post-operative expectations. With detailed patient-facing instructions, the goal to prevent post-operative infection in patients undergoing amputation may be attainable. This study assessed the association between providing post-operative instructions and infection outcome in patients undergoing lower extremity amputations. Our results reveal by providing patients with a set of complete post-operative instructions, defined as clearly outlining the goals of care post-operatively regarding dressing changes, weightbearing status, antibiotic regimen, and follow up appointments after discharge had a 4.5-fold decreased risk of post-operative infection in comparison to patients who did not receive full instructions. In addition, there was an apparent decreased risk of thirty-day readmissions when comparing patients who received full post-operative instructions versus those who did not. Thus, our study highlighted the importance of post-operative instructions on final outcomes for individuals undergoing lower extremity amputation.