Amputation rate and mortality in elderly patients with critical limb ischemia not suitable for revascularization

• Published in: Aging clinical and experimental research 2012-06, Vol.24 (3 Suppl), p.24-27
• Main Authors: Martini, Romeo, Andreozzi, Giuseppe Maria, Deri, Alessandra, Cordova, Rosamaria, Zulian, Paolo, Scarpazza, Ornella, Nalin, Fabiana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amputation - adverse effects; Amputation - statistics & numerical data; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Ischemia - mortality; Ischemia - surgery; Leg - blood supply; Leg - surgery; Limb Salvage - methods; Male; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 1720-8319

In spite of recent progress in revascularization and anesthesiology procedures, in vascular centers today there are still patients with Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) who are not considered suitable for revascularization. Most of these patients are elderly, with high co-morbidity factors, poor run off arterial limb vessels, and often with a salvageable limb. They are absent or neglected in the literature, and generally go untreated. We report details of 24- month amputations and mortality rates in 90 patients with CLI who were not considered suitable for revascularization, treated from 2005 to 2008 in a dedicated unit of our department. Patients with endstage general conditions or needing immediate primary amputation were excluded from our study. All patients received multidisciplinary assessment. Their median age was 78.4 years; 28 patients (31.1%) had rest pain only, and 62 (68.8%) had ischemic skin foot-leg wounds or gangrene