Limb salvage is a very difficult and tricky thing to achieve.
We have had wonderful success in saving
There have been plenty of situations where the patient was advised to have an amputation and we have been able to save them from that or at least minimize the loss.
It takes a full team and we have that available here at Hoag hospital in Orange County California.
Salvage is more time consuming and more expensive than an amputation. In the long run it is more worth it to keep your foot/leg. Your life expectancy decreases with a below knee amputation. Getting fitted for a prosthesis is not cheap either.
If there is a chance that something can be done, I will do it.
I've used lots of modalities and technology to heal wounds and prevent amputation.
I'll show some of the worst cases and the results we can get. There are more pictures on my website.
Case 1 is a young male with history of Diabetes. Necrotizing Fasciitis. Multiple surgeries were done. During the healing process patient ended up needing his 3rd toe amputated due to gangrene. Once complete gangrene sets in, there is nothing that we can do other than amputate.
After multiple surgeries and the use of Wound VAC
A very healthy granular bed that is ready for a skin graft.
A few days after skin graft placement. The graft has taken.
All wounds are almost fully closed. The last part is closing and we expect it to be fully closed in a few weeks.
Case 2. Large necrotic wound on the bottom of the foot. The top picture is after the first surgical debridement. Skin grafting and wound
Feel free to contact Dr. Kolodenker for a consultation.
(949) 651-1202
Orange County - Irvine, California
