Early Complications after Limb Salvage Procedures: Prospective Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Sarcomas are tumors that are mesenchymal in origin involving bone and soft tissues occurring in all age groups. Giant cell tumor, although benign, is locally aggressive and can also destroy the bone. Amputation was once considered primary treatment but now with advancements in diagnostic imaging modalities, surgical procedures and adjuvant therapies, limb salvage surgeries have become the preferred treatment modality. The primary objective of our study was to determine the incidence of early complications occurring within the first thirty days in patients who underwent limb salvage surgery at our hospital. The secondary objective was to assess the association of these complications with patient-related factors, surgical modality, tumor characteristics and neoadjuvant therapy. Methodology: All the patients with bone or soft tissue sarcoma and aggressive giant cell tumors of the extremities who underwent wide excision and limb salvage surgery from February 2020 to December 2021 were included in this study. Data were collected prospectively on follow-up visits in the clinic for one month. Data were compiled and analyzed using SPSS version 22. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant throughout the study. Results: A total of 60 patients were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 39.90 years. Bone and soft tissue tumors were found in 35 and 25 patients respectively. A total of 13 patients experienced postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery. The association of these postoperative complications with gender distribution, prior comorbid conditions, type of tumor, anatomical location of the tumor and neoadjuvant therapy was found to be statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The most frequently occurring postoperative complications are wound-related and the incidence of these complications is independent of the proposed risk factors.