Outcome of unreconstructed chronic critical leg ischaemia

Objective: To assess the outcome of unreconstructed chronic critical leg ischemia with a special reference to the definition of CLI. Design and Setting: A retrospective study with 1 year follow-up in an academic referral centre (Fourth Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital). Material: 105 consecutive unreconstructed patients with 136 critically ischaemic legs as defined by the European Consensus Document on Chronic Critical Leg Ischaemia. Main outcome measures: Major amputations and mortality. Results: 81% of the 136 critically ischnemic legs survived 1 month, 70% three months and 54% one year. Of the 105 patients 93%, 77% and 46% were alive at 1, 3 and 12 months, respectively, whereas survival of patients with nonamputated leg was only 71%, 56% and 28%. Patients with bilateral CLI had a worse prognosis in terms of survival and leg salvage. The leg outcome was not worsened by the presence of diabetes nor by the distal extent of arterial changes. Conclusion: Although the selection of the present material is likely to cause some bins, unreconstructed CLI seemed to predict a very poor outcome in terms of survival and limb salvage.