Health care costs of major upper-extremity amputations in Ontario: a retrospective matched-cohort analysis with considerations for transplantation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Major upper-extremity amputation, defined as loss above the wrist, profoundly affects all aspects of life and imposes substantial health care burdens. Standard care involves prosthetics, which have limitations, while vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) offers improved functionality but raises cost-effectiveness concerns. We sought to evaluate health care use and cost of major upper-extremity amputation in Ontario.

Methods

We conducted a 20-year retrospective matched-cohort study using administrative health care data from Ontario. We matched patients with major upper-extremity amputations (April 2002 to March 2023) 4:1 with general population and hospital-based trauma controls. We analyzed health care use and costs by follow-up duration (1 yr, 1 to 4 y

SUBMITTER: Duru C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12854802 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature