Pre-Existing Peripheral Arterial Disease in Trauma

This article deals with the incidence, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of injured patients who have pre-existing peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which not only creates problems relative to the effect of trauma on the involved tissues, but also the likelihood that arteries to the heart, brain, kidneys, and other important viscera also may be diseased. Therefore, any hypotension can greatly increase the risk of an acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or other major organ dysfunction. Consequently, preoperative evaluation of patients with PAD should be much more thorough, looking carefully for postoperative complications that are apt to occur in these patients.