“Angioplasty-First” Approach for Limb Salvage in Asian Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia: Outcomes from 3,303 Angioplasties on 2,402 Limbs in a Single Tertiary Hospital

PURPOSE To review outcomes of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) who underwent conventional percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) as first-line treatment for revascularization. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective review of 3,303 angioplasty procedures on 2,402 limbs in 1,968 patients with CLI was conducted. Mean patient age was 68 years ± 11, and 1,057 patients (54%) were male. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was present in 1,736 patients (88%), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 579 (29%). A majority of patients (90%) had tissue loss. Limb salvage rates were generated by Kaplan-Meier plot. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to investigate associations between clinical predictors and time-to-event outcome. RESULTS Limb salvage rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 75%, 73%, 72%, and 62%, respectively, and overall survival rates were 79%, 64%, 56%, and 34%, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression analysis with the outcome of major amputation, significant predictors included age < 69 years (P = .032), Malay race (P = .029), DM (P < .001), history of cerebral vascular disease (P = .003), ESRD (P < .001), Rutherford classification (P = .042), repeat intervention (P = .034), and number of straight-line flows (P < .001) and plantar arch integrity (P < .001) on completion angiography. Significant associations with mortality were age < 69 years (P < .001), male sex (P = .030), Malay race (P = .027), history of ischemic heart disease (P < .001), ESRD (P < .001), and repeat intervention (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS PTA as first-line revascularization for patients with CLI is safe and effective. Further studies are suggested to validate the outcome predictive model.