A 10-year follow-up of patients presenting with ischaemic rest pain of the lower limbs

Objectives: To determine the 10-year outcome of patients presenting with vest pain. Methods: One hundred and three consecutive patients presenting with ischaemic rest pain in 1987 were followed up after 10 years. Hospital notes, death certificates and telephone interviews with patients were used to determine outcome. Results: Follow-up data is available for 97 (94%) patients. Thirteen patients are alive (13.7%) after 10 years, 12 presented with rest pain alone and one had ulceration. Three of these had amputation. The commonest cause of death was myocardial infarction (n = 21, 25%). In those who had died, the median age of onset of symptoms teas 72 years (49-93) for rest pain, 74 years (56-87) for ulceration and 71.5 years (45-85) for gangrene. Their survival after admission was a mean of 39 months with rest pain, 33 months with ulceration and 42 months with gangrene. The overall 5-year survival was 31% and the 10-year survival 13%. Conclusion: Patients presenting with ischaemic rest pain have a poor prognosis. The presence ol absence of ulceration or gangrene does not influence the outcome. Most patients die from smoking-related diseases.