Which pre-operative intervention is essential to prevent potential complications in a patient scheduled for amputation?

Administering pre-operative antibiotics is essential to prevent post-operative infection in a patient undergoing amputation. Prophylactic antibiotics are often given before the surgical procedure to reduce the risk of infection at the surgical site and promote successful wound healing.

b. Providing pre-operative analgesia: Providing pre-operative analgesia is important for pain management, but it is not directly related to preventing post-operative infection.
c. Ensuring proper patient positioning: Ensuring proper patient positioning is crucial for the surgical procedure's success and patient safety, but it is not directly related to preventing post-operative infection.
d. Educating the patient about post-operative exercises: Patient education about post-operative exercises is important for rehabilitation, but it does not directly prevent post-operative infection. Proper wound care and infection prevention protocols are more relevant to reducing the risk of infection.

During an amputation procedure, the bone stump is typically left intact to provide a stable base for prosthetic fitting. The muscles, nerves, and tendons are carefully dissected and secured to prevent complications and facilitate healing.

a. Muscles: While muscles are involved in the surgical procedure, they are typically resected to the appropriate level to accommodate the prosthetic device.
b. Nerves: Nerves are carefully dissected and secured during the amputation procedure to prevent neuromas and phantom limb pain but are not left intact for prosthetic fitting.
c. Tendons: Tendons are typically resected during the amputation procedure, and their positioning and attachment are crucial for proper wound closure and healing, but they are not left intact for prosthetic fitting.