Prosthesis (from Greek "prosthesis" meaning "attachment" is an artificial device that acts as a functional replacement for a missing body part, whether through amputation, congenital malformation, or otherwise missing, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions.

• Craniofacial prosthesis, including:
  • Extra-oral, including:
    • Hemifacial
    • Auricular (ear)
    • Nasal
    • Orbital
    • Ocular prosthesis (prosthetic eye, artifical eye, glass eye)
  • Intra-oral, including:
    • Dental prostheses e.g. dentures
    • Obturators
    • Dental implants
• Prostheses of the neck, including:
  • Larynx substitutes
  • Trachea
  • Upper esophageal replacements
• Prostheses of the torso, including:
  • Breast prostheses, which may be single or bilateral
  • Full breast devices
  • Nipple prostheses
• Limb prostheses, which is used at varying levels of amputation, including:
  • Upper-extremity prostheses, including:
    • Forequarter
    • Shoulder disarticulation
    • Transhumeral prosthesis
    • Elbow disarticulation
    • Transradial prosthesis, which is an artificial limb that replaces an arm missing below the elbow
    • Wrist disarticulation
    • Full hand
    • Partial hand
    • Finger
    • Partial finger
  • Lower-extremity prostheses, describing artifically replaced limbs located at the hip level or lower. including:
    • Hip disarticulation
    • Transfemoral prosthesis (aka above the knee, or AK prosthesis), an amputation transecting the femur bone or a congenital anomaly resulting in a femoral deficiency. It is thus an artificial limb that replaces a leg missing above the knee. Patients can have a very difficult time regaining normal movement, requiring 80% more energy to walk than a person with 2 whole legs, due to the complexities in movement associated with the knee
    • Knee disarticulation
    • Transtibial prosthesis (aka below the knee, or BK prosthesis), an amputation transecting the tibia bone or a congenital anomaly resulting in a tibial deficiency. It is thus an artificla limb that replaces a leg missing below the knee. Patients are usually able to regain normal movement more readily than someone with transfemoral amputation, due in large part to retaining the knee, which allows for easier movement
    • Syme's amputation
    • Foot
    • Partial foot
    • Toe

• Prosthetics are designed and assembled according to the patient's appearance and functional needs. A patient's future goals and financial situation can help them choose between devices
• Prosthetists begin by taking a plaster cast of the patient's affected limb
• Lightweight, high-strength thermoplastics are custom-formed tot his model of the patient
• Cutting-edge materials e.g. carbon fiber, titanium and Kevlar provide strength and durability while making the new prosthesis lighter
• More sophisticated prosthesis are equiped with advanced electronics, providing additional stability and control
• Rehabilitation is primarily coordinated by a prosthetist, alongside psychiatrists, surgeons, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Prosthetists are responsible for the prescription, design and management of a prosthetic device

• The TG's (amended Aug 2022) states that there should be the same approach to surgical abx prophylaxis to Pt's w/ and w/o pre-existing joint prosthesis