Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease: 5-Year Follow-up

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with increased mortality. Lower extremity (LE) revascularization improves symptoms, but less is known about long-term survival benefits of LE arterial revascularization.

Methods: Two hundred and eighty-three patients with an ankle brachial index (ABI) ≤0.9 were identified at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Danville, Illinois, and rates of LE arterial revascularization and all-cause mortality were measured at 5 years.

Results: Of 283 patients identified, 42 (15%) underwent LE revascularization including 39 surgical procedures and 18 percutaneous interventions for symptomatic PAD. Eleven (26%) patients underwent repeat procedures over the 5 years of follow-up. Those undergoing revascularization were more often Caucasian (95% vs. 79%, P = 0.01) and had lower ABIs (ABI ≤ 0.4, 45% vs. 17%, P = <0.001). At 44 ± 19 months follow-up, there were fewer deaths in patients that underwent revascularization compared to patients who did not undergo revascularization; 10/42 (24%) versus 107/241 (44%) patients, P = 0.012. In a multivariate model LE arterial revascularization was associated with a trend toward lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.51 [95% CI 0.26–1.02], P = 0.056). Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥65 years (HR 2.42 [95% CI 1.52–3.85], P < 0.001), history of coronary artery disease (HR 1.67 [95% CI 1.13–2.46], P = 0.010), chronic kidney disease (HR 1.75 [95% CI 1.15–2.67], P = 0.010), and an ABI ≤ 0.4 (HR 1.88 [95% CI 1.19–2.96], P = 0.006).

Conclusion: Few patients at this center with LE-PAD underwent arterial revascularization. After adjusting for baseline differences, there is a trend toward lower 5-year mortality in those undergoing LE arterial revascularization when compared to those who do not.