Nutritional anthropometry for amputees: challenges for clinicians

Abstract

Anthropometric measurements pose interesting challenges for clinicians when attempting to perform and interpet these in individuals with a lower extremity amputation. With little evidence to guide best practice, when clinicians do incorporate anthropometry into their practice they tend to apply measures with demonstrated validity in other populations. Following a comprehensive literature review, very few studies challenging the application of anthropometric measurements in those with a lower extremity amputation were identified. Largely the literature makes recommendations to continue to utilise body mass index, with complex equations developed to enable estimation of weight for the amputated limb. Alternatively the literature advocates for adopting measurements of the upper body while acknowledging that while these have correlation with measures such as body mass index, there is yet no information on whether these measures have any predictive ability in terms of health outcomes. The ideal approach is thus still controversial and research should focus on evaluating the ease and validity of various anthropometic measurements amongst those with a lower extremity amputation with a view to establish best practice recommendations for this group.