UNASSIGNED: Percutaneous deep venous arterialization (pDVA) is a minimally invasive technique connecting the tibial arteries below the knee to the tibial venous system into plantar venous circulation to deliver oxygenated blood to otherwise nonperfused foot. This study demonstrated outcomes of pDVA with commercially available equipment and described single-center experience on pDVA for critical limb-threatening ischemia patients with small artery diseases and end-stage plantar disease (ESPD) who were deemed no-option cases.
UNASSIGNED: A single-center retrospective review was performed on patients who underwent pDVA. Primary end points were successful establishment of tibial vein flow with venous pedal loop, rate of major amputation, and major adverse events over 6 months. Secondary end points were primary and secondary patency rates, minor amputation rates, and wound healing over 6 months.
UNASSIGNED: Forty-two patients with ESPD underwent pDVA. Risk factors identified were hypertension (92.8%), hyperlipidemia (85.7%), diabetes (78.6%), tobacco abuse (42.9%), and chronic kidney disease ≥ stage 3 (42.8%). Three patients were categorized as Rutherford Class 4, 14 patients Class 5, and 25 patients (59.5%) Class 6. Of 42 procedures, 33 (78.6%) were deemed successful. Amputation-free survival at 6 months was reported in 25 patients (60.9%); 16 patients (38.1%) reported minor amputations. Wound healing rate reported at 6 months was 23.8%.
UNASSIGNED: This is one of the largest case series to date with real-world no-option patients undergoing pDVA. pDVA seems a reasonable option for limb salvage in patients with ESPD where traditional arterial revascularization is not feasible. Identifying criteria for patient selection and advanced wound care is important to ensure clinical success. Additional research is required to establish diagnostic guidelines for patients being evaluated for pDVA.

UNASSIGNED: To develop a novel and accurate nomogram to predict survival without amputation in patients with acute lower limb ischemia (ALLI) during the first year following endovascular therapy.
UNASSIGNED: Patients with ALLI who underwent endovascular therapy in our department between January 2012 and September 2020 were screened and included in the research. The included patients were randomly divided into a training and validation cohorts, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used in the training cohort to identify independent risk factors for amputation-free survival (AFS). A nomogram was then developed according to the identified independent risk factors. The nomogram was then validated in the validation cohort.
UNASSIGNED: 415 Chinese patients with 417 affected limbs were included in this study. Among these patients, 311 patients were classified into the training cohort and 104 patients were assigned to the validation cohort. Most patients were men (n = 240) and the average age of patients was 71.43 (standard deviation 8.86) years old. After the univariate and multivariate analyses, advanced age (p < 0.001), history of smoking (p < 0.001), atrial fibrillation (p < 0.001), and insufficient outflow (p = 0.001) were revealed as independent risk factors for AFS during the first year. The nomogram yielded AUROC values of 0.912 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.873-0.950) and 0.889 (95 % CI: 0.812-0.967) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: Advanced age, history of smoking, atrial fibrillation, and insufficient outflow were independent negative predictors for AFS in ALLI patients treated by endovascular therapy. The novel nomogram offered an accurate prediction of AFS in ALLI patients.

UNASSIGNED: The purpose of this study was to investigate if the duration of bilateral acute limb ischaemia (BALI) caused by acute aortic occlusion (AAO) affected amputation-free survival.
UNASSIGNED: A retrospective analysis of patients treated between 1 January 2010 and 1 January 2019 for primary occlusion of the infrarenal aorta and BALI was performed. Univariate analysis was used to determine the risk factors for adverse outcomes and compare the duration of BALI between the amputation-free survival and non-amputation-free survival groups.
UNASSIGNED: The data from 16 patients with a mean age of 70 ± 11 years were analysed. Predominantly females (56.3%, 9/16) were included in the study. Out of 16 patients, nine had Rutherford grade IIb, and seven had Rutherford grade III at admission. Seven patients underwent revascularisation attempts, two underwent primary major amputation, and seven underwent primary palliation. The mean ischaemia time was significantly shorter in the amputation-free survival group than in the non-amputation-free survival group (7.4 ± 3.5 h vs 22.4 ± 16.3 h, p = .01). The time frame for successful bilateral lower limb revascularisation was <11 h (p = .03).
UNASSIGNED: The duration of BALI due to AAO of <11 h was shown to be associated with improved amputation-free survival.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) are reported to prevent major amputation and healing in no-option critical limb ischemia (NO-CLI). The aim of this study is to evaluate PBMNC treatment in comparison to standard treatment in NO-CLI patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The study included 76 NO-CLI patients admitted to our centers because of CLI with DFUs. All patients were treated with the same standard care (control group), but 38 patients were also treated with autologous PBMNC implants. Major amputations, overall mortality, and number of healed patients were evaluated as the primary endpoint. Only 4 out 38 amputations (10.5%) were observed in the PBMNC group, while 15 out of 38 amputations (39.5%) were recorded in the control group (p = 0.0037). The Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test results showed a significantly lower amputation rate in the PBMNCs group vs. the control group (p = 0.000). At two years follow-up, nearly 80% of the PBMNCs group was still alive vs. only 20% of the control group (p = 0.000). In the PBMNC group, 33 patients healed (86.6%) while only one patient healed in the control group (p = 0.000). PBMNCs showed a positive clinical outcome at two years follow-up in patients with DFUs and NO-CLI, significantly reducing the amputation rate and improving survival and wound healing. According to our study results, intramuscular and peri-lesional injection of autologous PBMNCs could prevent amputations in NO-CLI diabetic patients.

Chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) carries significant amputation and mortality risks. Australian population-based outcomes for CLTI are inadequately known. This study aimed to distinguish factors associated with outcomes in the first 2 years after CLTI surgery.
By linking routinely collected health administrative and mortality data from New South Wales, this population-based cohort study identified patients with ischaemic rest pain, gangrene or ulceration undergoing vascular surgery in public hospitals between 2010 and 2012. The primary outcome was 2-year amputation-free survival (AFS), and secondary outcomes included readmission and reoperation rates. Multivariable regression analysis identified prognostic factors adjusted for patient, hospital and geographic factors.
Primary CLTI surgery was performed on 4898 patients. Almost half the cohort had minor amputations without concurrent revascularization (2398, 49%), and the remaining patients had open (652, 13%) or endovascular (1848, 38%) surgery. At 2-years, the AFS rate was 72%. Significant disparity was seen between age groups, with the 2-year AFS 71% in patients aged 75 years or older, compared to 95% in patients aged less than 75 years (P < 0.001). Place of residence or hospital training status did not significantly influence AFS or readmission, but non-training hospitals had higher rates of reoperation.
This population-based cohort study demonstrated variable outcomes for patients with CLTI, particularly with respect to older age, admission acuity and comorbidity. Results may guide service improvements however further research is needed into how population-wide health initiatives can address age-related disparities in CLTI.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association of tunneling technique on patency and amputation in patients undergoing lower extremity bypass for limb ischemia.
METHODS: The National Vascular Quality Initiative database infrainguinal bypass module from 2008 to 2017 was queried for analysis. We excluded cases with non-great saphenous vein grafts, grafts using multiple segments, aneurysmal disease indications, bypass locations outside the femoral to below the knee popliteal artery or tibial arteries, and missing data on tunneling type and limb ischemia. The main exposure variable was the tunneling type, subcutaneously vs subfascially. Our primary outcomes were primary patency and amputation. The secondary outcomes included primary-assisted patency and secondary patency. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used.
RESULTS: A total of 5497 bypass patients (2835 subcutaneous and 2662 subfascial) were included. Age, race, graft orientation (reversed vs not reversed), bypass donor and recipient vessels, harvest type, end-stage renal disease, smoking, coronary artery bypass graft, congestive heart failure, P2Y12 inhibitor at discharge, surgical site infection at discharge, and indication (rest pain vs tissue loss vs acute ischemia) were analyzed for an association with the tunneling technique (P < .05). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the tunneling type was not associated with primary patency, primary-assisted patency, secondary patency, or major amputation (P > .05).
CONCLUSIONS: Compared with subfascial tunneling, the superficial tunneling technique was not associated with primary patency or major amputation in limb ischemia patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass with a single-segment great saphenous vein.

OBJECTIVE: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with morbidity and mortality, comprising a significant percentage of amputations. As it affects the quality of life of patients with PAD, it is an important health issue. Therefore, the risk factors affecting the outcomes of limb salvage after revascularization should be well investigated. The aim of this review is to summarize risk factors of amputation-free survival (AFS) after interventions targeting patients with PAD to develop evidence-based intervention for improving patient outcomes.
RESULTS: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted, and the protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020183076). PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for observational studies published between 2008 and 2019. Search terms included \'peripheral arterial disease\', \'risk factors\', and \'amputation-free survival\'. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute\'s Critical Appraisal Tools. Seventeen cohort studies were included in our study, and 16 risk factors were identified. Risk factors exemplifying a significant influence on decreased AFS were divided into three categories: sociodemographic (e.g. older age, male gender, African-American race, low body mass index, high nutritional risk, frailty), disease-related characteristics (e.g. severity of the disease, intervention site), and comorbidities (e.g. cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, wide pulse pressure).
CONCLUSIONS: We found that managing modifiable risk factors, as well as addressing high-risk populations, has the potential to improve outcomes of PAD interventions. More high-quality cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Despite prior literature recommending against limb salvage in patients with poor functional status such as nonambulatory patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), peripheral endovascular interventions continue to be carried out in this group of patients. Clinical outcomes following these interventions are, however, not well-characterized.
A retrospective review was conducted on all patients treated for CLTI in the Vascular Quality Initiative from September 2016 to December 2019. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, log-rank tests, and Cox regression analyses were used as appropriate to study outcomes. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 1-year amputation-free survival. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital death, postoperative complications, 1-year freedom from major amputation, and 2-year survival.
Of the 49,807 patients studied, 28,469 (57.2%) were ambulatory, 15,148 (31.0%) were ambulatory with assistance, 5395 (10.8%) were wheelchair bound, and 525 (1.1%) were bedridden. There was a 2-fold increase in the odds of 30-day death in patients who were ambulatory with assistance (odds ratio [OR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77-2.34; P < .001) and wheelchair-bound patients (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.74-2.51; P < .001), and a more than 6-fold increase in bedridden patients (OR, 6.28; 95% CI, 4.55-8.65; P < .001) compared with ambulatory patients. There was a significantly higher odds of postoperative complications in patients who were ambulatory with assistance or bedridden, but no difference with wheelchair-bound patients. Among ambulatory patients, the risks of major amputation and death within 1 year were only 10% and 12%, respectively, whereas that of bedridden patients were as high as 30% and 38%, respectively. A stepwise decrease in amputation-free survival from 81% with full ambulatory capacity to less than 50% (47.7%) in bedridden patients was observed. The risk of major amputation or death within 1 year was 35% higher for ambulatory with assistance (hazard ratio [HR], 1.35; 95% CI, 1.26-1.44; P < .001), 65% higher for wheelchair-bound (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.51-1.79; P < .001) and 2.6-fold higher for bedridden (HR, 2.64; 95% CI, 2.17-3.21; P < .001) compared with ambulatory. A similar association was seen for 1-year freedom from major amputation and 2-year survival.
Ambulatory impairment in patients with CLTI is associated with a significant increase in 30-day mortality and significant decrease in amputation-free survival after peripheral endovascular intervention. Bedridden patients had a 6-fold increase in the 30-day death rate, whereas their amputation-free survival dropped to less than 50% at 1 year. These risks should be considered during shared decision-making regarding management options for nonambulatory patients with CLTI.

OBJECTIVE: Within five years after presentation 50-60% of patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLI) have died or had an amputation. We assessed the predictive value of lower extremity arterial calcification on computed tomography (CT) characteristics on both 7-years amputation-free survival and 10-years all-cause mortality in patients with CLI.
METHODS: Included were 89 CLI patients (mean age 73.1 ± 11.6 years) who underwent a CT angiography of the lower extremities. In the femoropopliteal and crural arteries based on a CT score the following calcification characteristics were assessed: severity, annularity, thickness and continuity. The predictive value of different arterial calcification characteristics was analysed by age- and sex-adjusted multivariate Cox regression analysis.
RESULTS: Complete annular calcifications were common (femoropopliteal 43.7%, n = 38; crural, 63.2%, n = 55). Mean survival was 278.4 weeks (95% CI 238.77-318.0 weeks). Patients with complete annular calcifications had a higher all-cause 10-year mortality (femoropopliteal unadjusted HR 1.64, p = 0.04 and adjusted for age and sex HR 1.68, p = 0.04; crural unadjusted HR 1.92, p = 0.02, adjusted for age and sex HR 2.29, p = 0.006) than patients with other calcification characteristics.
CONCLUSIONS: Annularity of calcification of both femoropopliteal and crural arteries is a predictor for 10-year all-cause survival, its hazard being even higher than the traditional prognostic risk factors for CLI and therefore could be involved in the poor survival of these patients.

Management of acute limb ischemia (ALI) due to occlusions in popliteal and infrapopliteal arteries remains a challenge. Open surgical methods and even the novel percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy devices have not shown satisfactory results in these small arteries. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the safety and efficacy of catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in this type of ALI with distal occlusion. Between April 2017 and June 2019, 22 patients with ALI secondary to popliteal or infrapopliteal occlusion were enrolled in the study. Patients with thrombosis, embolism, and thrombosed bypass graft were included; all belong to category I or IIa of Rutherford\'s classification. Technical success, limb salvage, complications, and mortality were evaluated at short- and long-term follow-up. Technical success was achieved in 81.8%, while 36.4% of patients needed additional balloon angioplasty, major amputation in 13.6%, minor bleeding in 18.2%, and no major hemorrhage. Limb salvage at 30 days and 1 year was 86.4% and 72.7%, respectively. At 1 year, primary patency was 63.6% and mortality was 9.1%. Catheter directed thrombolysis is a safe and highly effective treatment modality for popliteal or infrapopliteal acute limb ischemia unless contraindicated.