Parenteral illegal drug use and limb loss. The problem of illegal drug abuse and extremity loss was identified in 27 patients-22 men and 5 women, with a mean age of 26 years. Associated medical problems included: smoking in 27, cardiac disease in 2, diabetes in 3, and hypertension in 3. Six femoral pseudoaneurysms, 2 with distal emboli and all with sepsis and thrombosis, directly contributed to limb loss along with 2 patients with progressive phlegmasia dolens. There were 3 below-the-elbow, 7 above-the-knee, 11 below-the-knee, and 6 transmetatarsal amputations. Eight patients received prostheses; 8 patients subsequently died in follow-up. 