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Study Identifies Disparities for Limb Loss Patients With PAD
Prosthetics Comprises the Majority of O&P Facilities’ Gross Sales/Billings 1.9% 4.0% 3.3%
36.3%
54.6%
Prosthetics Orthotics Pedorthics Durable Medical Equipment Other
—“2020 AOPA Operating Performance Report”
OCTOBER 2021 | O&P ALMANAC
of lower socioeconomic status and Black race were associated with higher rates of major lowerextremity amputation,” concluded the researchers. “Development of community-based tools for peripheral artery disease diagnosis and management targeted to communities with high amputation rates in urban areas may help reduce inequities in peripheral artery disease outcomes.” The study was published in the September 7 issue of JAHA.
Lower-Limb Loss Patients Benefit From Increased Ambulation Researchers at Columbia University recently conducted a scoping review to map the evidence regarding steps per day as a physical activity measure for individuals with lower-limb loss. The research team, led by Christopher Kevin Wong, PhD, PT, reviewed 21 studies and found that most individuals with limb loss have low activity levels compared with the 10,000 steps per day generally recommended, or 6,000 steps per day recommended for individuals with diabetes. “People with lower-limb loss take fewer steps per day than suggested for general health,” concluded the researchers. “Increasing steps per day may be a useful goal for this population, and this study is a first step in improving knowledge of physical activity levels in people with lower-limb loss.” The study was published in the August 1 issue of Physical Therapy.
PHOTO: Getty Images
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Individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) located in rural communities with markers of low socioeconomic status experience higher rates of major lower-extremity amputation, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania estimated rates of major lower-extremity amputation per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries. Between 2010 and 2018, ZIP codes that experienced the highest levels of amputation rates (top quartile) had a greater proportion of Black residents (17.5 percent Black residents versus an average of 4.4 percent). They also found that, within more populous metropolitan areas, households with lower median household incomes (less than $10,000) were associated with a 4.4 percent higher amputation rate. “In metropolitan areas, where most individuals undergoing lowerextremity amputation live, markers
