Temporary Upper Limb AIIMS Prostheses - A New Design

Amputation of upper limb causes immediate disturbancein the body image during postoperative period. Early fittingof the prosthesis helps to incorporate the prosthesis inthe body image, reduction of stump edema, stump pain,promotion of two-handed activities, prevention of musclewasting, scoliosis and more acceptance of permanentprosthesis. First four to six weeks of post-operative periodare considered to be the golden period to achieve bettersuccess in upper limb amputee rehabilitation. Not muchhas been done in the field of upper limb temporaryprosthesis in the last twenty five years. To address thisgap a new temporary upper limb prosthesis was designedand fitted to six patients. The design is simple, low costand functional. It can be fitted immediately after surgery.It is also helpful in cases with open wounds and stumpneuromas.