Troubleshooting a Difficult Trans-Tibial/Fibula Amputation: A Case Report

Necrotic feet secondary to vascular compromise in the diabetic patient may require an emergent guillotine amputation. Unrecognized, retained hardware in a distal ankle years after fracture repair may complicate the intraoperative guillotine amputation at the transtibial/fibula level. Troubleshooting such an unexpected surgical problem is not necessarily straightforward depending on the clinical situation. Presented is a case report where a patient with a necrotic burned foot failed to inform the burn team that he had implanted ankle hardware, prior to his surgical intervention. A successful amputation was completed after proceeding down a specific algorithm devised for such a scenario.