Why should a deformed, anaesthetic, functionless hand be wanted?

A 58-year-old woman presented at a disability assessment tribunal with a severely deformed left forearm. She had broken the arm 25 years previously and the infected open fracture had not healed. There were no sensory or motor functions in the hand, which the patient kept constantly hidden in her gar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disability and rehabilitation 1998, Vol.20 (1), p.33-35
Main Authors: Heim, M., Oppenheim, U., Margalit, D. Arazi, Azaria, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amputation - psychology
Body Image
Disabled Persons - psychology
ethical issues
Ethics, Medical
Female
Hand Deformities, Acquired - psychology
Hand Deformities, Acquired - surgery
Humans
Middle Aged
Treatment Refusal - psychology
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Summary:A 58-year-old woman presented at a disability assessment tribunal with a severely deformed left forearm. She had broken the arm 25 years previously and the infected open fracture had not healed. There were no sensory or motor functions in the hand, which the patient kept constantly hidden in her garments. The question of an amputation was raised and the advantages of modern prosthetics with respect to cosmesis and function failed to convince the patient that she might benefit from such surgery. One questions why a patient should want to retain this cumbersome, obviously embarrassing, burden and whether the question of surgery should have been raised.
ISSN:0963-8288
1464-5165
DOI:10.3109/09638289809166853