In 2012, it was estimated that those with diabetes and lower-extremity wounds in the U.S. Medicare program accounted for $41 billion in cost, which is ~1.6% of all Medicare health care spending.

Medical amputation isn't a uniquely human form of medicine, it turns out. Some ant species will cut off the limbs of injured buddies when it's necessary to save them.

Each year in the United States, approximately 130,000 people with diabetes undergo lower extremity amputations, a sobering statistic that translates to roughly 14 amputations every hour. Even more ...

Lower limb amputation is a significant medical procedure that can drastically affect a person's mobility and quality of life. The rehabilitation process following an amputation is crucial for ...

More information: Colorado Limb Donning-Timed Up and Go (COLD-TUG) Test in Lower-Extremity Amputation, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (2025). Provided by CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

A child who lived on the Indonesian island of Borneo around 31,000 years ago underwent the oldest known surgical operation, an amputation of the lower left leg, researchers say. One or more hunter ...

That observation prompted Frank’s team to try performing amputations on ants with lower leg injuries that had been infected with bacteria. They found that the ants always died.

Wounds lower down on the leg didn't elicit this treatment, although ants would lick at the injuries. That observation prompted Frank's team to try performing amputations on ants with lower leg ...