Patients with chronic critical limb ischaemia have reduced total antioxidant capacity and impaired nutritional status

Abstract Introduction: it has previously been demonstrated that total antioxidant capacity (TAC) can help predict which patients undergoing femoro-distal reconstruction are susceptible to postoperative infections Aims: the aims of this study were to examine if TAC is influenced by the nutritional state of the patient and the degree of ischaemia. Patients and Methods: thirty patients with rest pain (21 men and 9 women), with a median age of 69 years and fifteen controls (9 men and 6 women), median age of 66 years, were studied. Nutritional status was assessed using serum albumin, body mass index (BMI), maximum voluntary contraction using a hand grip dynamometer and bioelectrical impedance to determine lean body mass. Blood was also taken for total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results: patients with chronic critical limb ischaemia (CCLI) had a lower TAC than controls (752 vs 1130 μmol/l, p U -test). There was no difference in serum albumin concentration between the CCLI group compared with controls (31 mmol/L vs 35 mmol/L, p > 0.05 Mann–Whitney U -test). There was also no difference in BMI (23 vs 27, p > 0.05 U -test) between the two groups. The other markers of nutrition including, maximum voluntary contractions (28.6 kg/m 2 vs 37.4 kg/m 2 , p U -test), and lean body mass (3.0 vs 3.8 M–W U -test), showed a significant reduction in the vascular patients. Conclusion: TAC is significantly reduced in patients with CCLI and this may, in part, be explained by their impaired nutritional status.