High Reintervention and Amputation Rates After Outpatient Atherectomy for Claudication

Outpatient use of atherectomy for peripheral arterial disease has grown rapidly and outcomes are poorly understood. We analyzed outcomes of atherectomy done for claudication, comparing office and hospital outpatient settings. Analysis of Medicare Part B claims data was performed for incident femoral–popliteal or tibial–peroneal atherectomy from 2012 to 2014. Longitudinal analysis assessed services 18 months before, during, and up to 18 months after the incident peripheral vascular intervention (PVI). Differences between office-based and hospital outpatient-based settings were assessed using χ2 and Fisher exact tests. Comparing procedure settings, significant differences in race (femoral–popliteal: P = .04, tibial–peroneal: P = .001), chronic renal failure (femoral–popliteal: P = .002), and hypertension (femoral–popliteal: P = .01, tibial–peroneal: P = .006) were found. Nine hundred twenty-four patients undergoing femoral–popliteal atherectomy were analyzed (262 office based, 662 hospital outpatient based)...