Clinical Experience of Fitting Amputee Soldiers at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC): Part 2 – Prosthetic Services

Abstract

This lecture will discuss the experiences at the Center for Intrepid located at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) providing rehabilitation of amputee soldiers. This is part two of a series illustrating the prosthetic services, rehabilitation and research currently underway at BAMC. Case presentations will be utilized to illustrate the team approach to provide clinically appropriate amputee rehabilitation. This cohesive effort includes surgical considerations, early prosthetic fittings, long-term prosthetic care, rehabilitation services, case management, physiological and social support services. Prosthetic considerations will be presented, including combining the use of technology and basic prosthetic principles. Special attention will focus on unique requirements of traumatic amputations resulting from blast, gunshot, burn injuries, and high demands of the young active users. All advanced systems have been fit at various levels of amputation including fittings with patients who have undergone targeted muscle reinnervation surgery. In addition to being one of the three primary prosthetic amputee care centers, BAMC serves as the primary burn center for the Army worldwide.