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Limb Loss Awareness

The Department of Defense is honored to serve over 63,000 beneficiaries with limb loss. The Defense Health Agency’s Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence is leading the way in advancing science and improving patient-centered care.

Health care providers are encouraged to learn about limb loss diagnosis and treatment protocols. Service members, veterans, and family members with limb loss are encouraged to discover tools and resources available.

Since 2001, the Department of Defense has cared for over 63,000 beneficiaries with some level of limb loss, including over 1,700 service members with deployment-related amputations. Of that number, over 400 service members have returned to duty thanks to advancements in military research and a holistic approach to patient care.

The Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence continues to facilitate the most advanced care for amputation in the United States. The establishment of three DOD Advanced Rehabilitation Centersgoes to Walter Reed website allows for eligible DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries to receive state-of-the-art treatment and care. These are teams of multidisciplinary providers dedicated to achieving a meaningful quality of life for their patients following amputation or limb dysfunction.

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Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence

EACE Research and Surveillance

Combatant Command Support

Limb Loss Treatment Protocols

EACE Knowledge Management

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Advanced Rehabilitation Centers

DOD is home to three Advanced Rehabilitation Centers that cares for military beneficiaries of all ages and addresses the complex needs of individuals with severe limb disfunction, including amputation. At the centers, professionals work with beneficiaries and their health care teams to develop optimal care plans.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical, occupational, and recreational therapy
Orthotics and prosthetics
Behavioral health

Surgery (orthopedics, plastic, and urology)
Nursing
Pain management
Dermatology
Cardiology
Internal medicine
Primary care
Spiritual support
Nutrition care
Case management
Assistive technology
Biomedical engineering

Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland
Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care at Naval Medical Center San Diego in San Diego, California

Intrepid Battlefield Exoskeleton

The Intrepid Battlefield Exoskeleton, called IBEX, is an assistive device designed to stabilize an open tibia fracture and enables independent mobility on the battlefield. The IBEX is lightweight and unfolds out of a rucksack. It fits 95% of service members and will free team members from litter carry duties during mass casualty events.

The IBEX was one of four medical technologies tested and one of two evacuation systems tested during the U.S. Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment held February 2024 at Fort Moore, Georgia. Surveys taken by service members who wore the IBEX showed that the device was considered useful for a combat arms unit.

More information and demonstrations of the IBEX will take place at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium.

EACE Calendar of Events

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DOD Policies

File	Date
Memorandum: Referral of Active Duty Service Members to an Advanced Rehabilitation Center	12/14/2016
Memorandum: Reserve Component Members’ Referral to an Advanced Rehabilitation Center	1/4/2018

Limb Loss Awareness Additional Information

Article

Health Informaticists: At the Intersection of People, ...

Article

Limb Salvage, Reconstruction, Restoration Care are at the ...

miliary medical personnel pose with patient

External Article

Amputees Benefit from Innovative Treatment by Navy Surgeons

Article

Experts Gather for Training on Advanced Combat Surgical Skills

Article

Limb Loss, Amputation Resources, Advances from Military ...

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Yan Ortiz-Pomales, specialty leader for plastic surgery in the U.S. Navy, left, Nathaniel Ortiz, lead prosthetist, center, and U.S. Navy Cmdr. James Flint, NMCSD orthopedic oncology surgeon, right, pose for a group photo

External Article

Amputees Benefit from Innovative Treatment by U.S. Navy Surgeons

Video

Limb Loss Care and the EACE

Video

What is the EACE?

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