ISO 8549-4:2026

International
Standard
ISO 8549-4
Third edition
Prosthetics and orthotics —
2026-05
Vocabulary —
Part 4:
Terms relating to limb amputation
Prothèses et orthèses — Vocabulaire —
Partie 4: Termes relatifs à l'amputation de membres
Reference number
© ISO 2026
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Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General limb amputation .1
3.2 Upper limb amputation levels .2
3.3 Lower limb amputation levels .3
3.4 Amputation procedures .4
Index . 5

iii
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 168, Prosthetics and orthotics.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 8549-4:2020), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— the use of hyphens in anatomical terms, such as transpelvic, has been abandoned in line with other parts
of the ISO 8549 series;
— the term “amputee” has been removed from the standard and replaced with “person who have had an
amputation”.
A list of all parts in the ISO 8549 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Introduction
This document provides an internationally accepted terminology which describes the full range of limb
amputation levels and procedures.
This is intended for the use of all practitioners dealing with persons who have had a limb amputation to
describe their clinical experiences and compare them with the experience of others.
It can also be of value to other stakeholders, including persons who have had an amputation, epidemiologists,
researchers, manufacturers, and government and non-government organisations.

v
International Standard ISO 8549-4:2026(en)
Prosthetics and orthotics — Vocabulary —
Part 4:
Terms relating to limb amputation
1 Scope
This document defined terms for the description of surgical limb amputations and amputation procedures.
NOTE Traumatic limb
...