Arterial embolism of the legs. A follow-up study of 252 patients

This retrospective study of 279 embolectomies in 252 patients shows a mortality of 27%, and an amputation rate of 15% within the first month after the embolectomy. The mortality as well as the rate of amputations decreased through the first year. After this period the mortality was comparable to that of a normal population and the rate of amputation was negligible. The mortality rate as well as the number of amputations increased with increasing time-lag of the embolectomy. In addition, the rate of amputation increased with preexisting intermittent claudication. There was no significant difference in amputation rate between limbs with and without palpable pulsations in the groin on admission, but 8 out of 103 limbs without groin pulsations had successful major vascular reconstruction performed after failing embolectomy in contrast to none in the group where pulsations were present. In 28 patients the embolectomy was followed by impairment of renal function and 14 of these died. It is concluded that embolectomy must be performed as early as possible, vascular reconstruction must be considered if the embolectomy fails to revascularize the limb, preventive measures should be taken against renal failure, i.e. the myonephropathic-metabolic syndrome.     

Ballistic arterial trauma to the lower extremity: recent South African experience

The aim of this study was to determine the current outcome of gunshots to the arteries of the lower extremity. The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 104 patients with gunshots to the femoral (n=71) and popliteal (n=33) artery. One hundred four patients presented over the 60-month period. Ninety-six (92%) were male and eight of 104 female. Ninety-nine were gunshot injuries, five from shotguns. Nine patients had injury to the common femoral artery, 62 patients had injury to the superficial femoral artery, and 33 had popliteal artery injury. One patient died in the emergency room and another died in the postoperative period, giving an overall in-hospital mortality of two of 104 (1.9%). Forty-three of 70 femoral reconstructions had completion angiograms compared with 20 of 32 popliteal artery reconstructions (P=1). Nineteen of 63 (30%) of the completion angiograms prompted revision of the reconstruction. Of the 63 patients who had completion angiograms, two of 63 (3%) required amputation. Seven of 39 (18%) patients who did not have completion angiograms required amputation (P = 0.025). Including the primary amputation, there were 10 amputations in the 103 patients (9.7%) who survived to undergo operation. Ballistic arterial trauma of the lower limb leads to significant disability. Completion arteriography leads to revision of the reconstruction in nearly one-third of instances and significantly reduces amputation rate.     

下肢慢性缺血合并急性血栓形成的外科治疗

目的 探讨治疗下肢慢性缺血合并急性血栓形成的最佳外科治疗手段.方法 回顾性分析2000年1月～2010年10月我科收治的26例下肢慢性缺血合并急性血栓形成患者的临床资料,比较单纯采用股动脉切开导管取栓术组(10例)与股-腘动脉切开取栓联合动脉重建手术组(16例)的疗效.结果随访时间1～114个月,单纯股动脉切开术组中的...     

Factors affecting limb salvage and mortality in patients undergoing femoral embolectomy

The management and outcome of 131 acute femoral arterial occlusions in 126 patients over a period of 7 years is presented. The emboli were of cardiac origin in 82% of cases; 96% of the patients were treated with thromboembolectomy. The overall mortality rate was 26% with a limb salvage rate of 88% amongst the survivors. There was an increased risk of mortality in patients having both atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction, saddle emboli and those having delayed embolectomy after 24 h. Only the latter was found to be statistically significant. One-third of the patients who died had a failed embolectomy. An early fasciotomy helped in preventing permanent neurological deficit in patients with compartment syndrome.     

急性下肢动脉缺血的手术治疗和术后并发症的防治：附32例报告

摘要：目的 探讨急性下肢动脉缺血的有效治疗措施及并发症的防治方法。方法 回顾性分析32例急性下肢动脉缺血患者的诊治经验。4例行非手术治疗，28例行急诊手术，其中25例行股动脉切开Fogarty 导管取栓术（7例同时行血管成型术），3例取栓后行截肢术。结果 非手术组死亡1例，手术组无死亡病例。3例截肢，28例肢体得以保存。 结论 急诊股动脉切开取栓术为治疗急性下肢动脉缺血的首选治疗方案。该方法有助于降低病死率和截肢率。     

Delayed arterial embolectomy: a plea for a more active surgical approach.

In a series of 18 patients delayed embolectomy of the limb was performed 8-63 days after embolism had occurred. Three patients died (2 of them after amputation), and 7 limbs were amputated after surgery. In 10 instances blood flow was fully restored by the operation. Analysis of the 18 cases leads to the conclusion that the success of delayed embolectomy where neuromuscular function is intact depends primarily on surgical technique. Direct embolectomy by local or regional exposure of the obstructed arterial level is shown to produce better results than conventional (distant) balloon catheter embolectomy by proximal incision. This is thought to be due to increased mural adherence of the embolus, with secondary thrombus formation after a delay of 8 days or more. A plea is therefore made for a more aggressive surgical attitude to delayed arterial embolization. Provided that preoperative arteriography has localized the obstructive level and that the patient's general condition allows major vascular surgery, direct removal of the embolus and secondary thrombi by open exposure of the obstructed artery is recommended.     

Late results after femoral artery embolectomy

A review of 100 femoral artery embolectomies performed on 88 consecutive patients during a 10-year period was conducted to establish immediate and long-term results. There were 48 (55%) male and 40 (45%) female patients. Ages ranged from 33 to 97 years (mean, 73 years). Local anesthesia was used in 84 (84%) cases. Fifteen (17%) patients died within 30 days of the procedure. Major limb amputation was required within 30 days of operation in 16 (16%) patients. Mortality rate in the group of patients needing early amputation was 50% compared with 11% for those who underwent successful embolectomy procedures (p less than 0.001). Current follow-up was established for all patients. Five-year and 10-year survival rates for the entire group were 40% and 35%, respectively. The most frequent causes of late death after femoral artery embolectomy were arteriosclerotic heart disease (26%), cerebrovascular accident (26%), and advanced carcinoma (21%). All 39 remaining survivors were located 8 to 126 months (mean, 48 months) after discharge to complete a questionnaire designed to assess quality of life and symptoms of vascular insufficiency. Thirty-five (90%) survivors were fully ambulatory and 27 (70%) lived in their own homes. Although early survival is decreased after femoral embolectomy, long-term survivors can be expected to live independently with excellent limb salvage and function.     

Arterial embolectomy in the leg: results in a referral hospital

A review of 66 patients undergoing femoral embolectomy showed that 38 (58%) obtained a good final outcome (discharge from hospital with viable limb) while 28 (42%) died or required amputation prior to discharge. The major association with poor final outcome was pre-operative life-threatening cardiac disease which occurred in 17 (61%) of those patients who later died or underwent amputation and in six (16%) of those who were discharged with viable limbs (p less than 0.001). Age, sex, source of embolus, duration of ischaemia and pre-existing vascular disease had little effect on final outcome. Surgical dissatisfaction, at the time of operation, with the result of attempted revascularisation was of major prognostic significance in terms of future amputation or death.     

Through-knee amputation in high-risk patients with vascular disease: indications, complications and rehabilitation

During a 10-year period 104 patients (mean age 72 years) had 106 through-knee amputations. Indications for surgery were: limb gangrene, 67 (64 per cent); ischaemic ulceration, 22 (21 per cent); rest pain, 9; knee contractures, 6. Thirty patients had had previous unsuccessful vascular reconstructive surgery and five had had a failed femoral embolectomy. The through-knee disarticulation used lateral skin flaps. The mortality was 21 (20 per cent). Of the 83 survivors, 59 (71 per cent) underwent uncomplicated primary wound healing; 36 (43 per cent) of the survivors were unsuitable for rehabilitation on a prosthesis. The remaining 47 (57 per cent) were walking before discharge 30-130 days (mean 68 days) after amputation. Through-knee amputation is a rapid, relatively bloodless, amputation and is a useful debridement procedure. The many surgical and functional advantages, in conjunction with the recent reports of better rehabilitation compared with the above-knee or Gritti-Stokes amputation, suggests that the through-knee amputation deserves greater consideration.     

Transmetatarsal amputation in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Transmetatarsal amputation has the reputation of being an operation with a poor healing rate, and less than a 50% success rate had recently been reported. The outcome of this amputation in patients with peripheral vascular disease has been retrospectively studied in this paper by examining 34 transmetatarsal amputations performed over a 5-year period. Twelve patients had had previous toe amputations and 22 were diabetic with an overall healing rate of 68%. There was no significant difference in the success rate between diabetics and non-diabetics. One patient died in the postoperative period, giving an early post-operative mortality of 3%. Revision of failed transmetatarsal below-knee amputation resulted in healing in seven patients out of nine, suggesting that it does not compromise later amputation at a higher level. Healing did not appear to be influenced by factors such as sympathectomy, previous arterial reconstruction or peripheral pulses. Transmetatarsal amputation provides patients who have a short life expectancy with a durable functional stump which is prosthesis free.     

Upper limb ischemia: 20 years experience from a single center

The objective of this study was to review a single center's experience of upper limb revascularization over 20 years. All patients undergoing operative or endovascular upper limb revascularization between June 1983 and July 2003 were identified. One hundred eighty-four upper limb revascularization procedures were carried out on 172 patients. Sixty-one patients had a thromboembolic event (35%), 53 patients presented with a traumatic vascular injury (31%), and 29 patients had symptoms of chronic atherosclerotic upper limb ischemia (17%). Fifteen patients had subclavian steal syndrome, eight patients had thoracic outlet compression, and six patients had iatrogenic injuries of the upper limb arteries. Fifty-five thromboembolectomies were performed, 37 under locoregional anesthesia. Ten patients (18.2%) died from cardiopulmonary causes following embolectomy. Fifteen reversed saphenous vein bypass grafts were performed for traumatic damage. Twenty-seven patients had a primary repair, and five required a vein patch. One patient subsequently had an arm amputation, and two patients died. Twelve patients presenting with chronic arm ischemia had a subclavian angioplasty, 12 patients had a proximal bypass, and in 5 patients, stenoses were stented. The mortality in this group was 6.9% (2 of 29). The mortality for upper limb revascularization was 8.7%. Almost all deaths occurred after upper limb embolectomy, and the mortality of this procedure was similar to that of lower limb embolectomy. Deaths were the result of cardiac comorbidity, and this should be actively sought and treated if outcomes are to improve.     

Rotationplasty after failed limb-sparing tumor surgery: a report of two cases

Rotationplasty was used in two cases of failed limb salvage in adults after tumor resection and reconstruction. Each patient had distal femoral osteosarcoma, one treated with osteoarticular allograft reconstruction, the other with a custom endoprosthetic reconstruction. Both patients had failure attributable to infection, and after multiple surgeries, elected to have rotationplasty. Both had complications associated with the rotationplasty but went on to have functional limbs with Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional scores of 67% and 87%. One patient died of metastatic disease 29 months after rotationplasty, the other had no problems 50 months after rotationplasty. Although rotationplasty offers a functional improvement over transfemoral amputation in the salvage of failed tumor reconstructions, only 10 such cases have been reported in adults. Rotationplasty should be considered in selected patients for whom an amputation is being considered after failed limb salvage surgery.     

急性下肢缺血的外科手术治疗：附96例报告

目的: 探讨急性下肢缺血的救治方法。方法:回顾性总结4年来我科收治的96例（106条肢体）急性下肢缺血患者的临床资料。106条患肢均采用外科手术治疗；主要用Fogarty管在手术室或介入室DSA监测下行取栓，8例（12条肢体）患者在取栓的基础上进行解剖外人工血管转流。结果:术中髂、股、腘、胫动脉取栓成功70例（75条肢体），11例（12条肢体）腘动脉以远取栓不成功；8例（12条肢体）股动脉近心端受阻，远心端通畅者4例行腋-双股转流，4例行股-股人工血管转流。1例（1条肢体）因胸腹主动脉夹层造成下肢缺血行腹主动脉夹层开窗术。6例（6条肢体）行近端取栓加远端I期截肢。最终本组76例（85条肢体）救肢成功，成功率79.2%（76/96）；11例（11条肢体）截肢，截肢率11.4%（11/96）；9例（10条肢体）死亡，死亡率9.4%（9/96）。对76例（85条肢体）成功保肢者随访1～38个月，7例（7条肢体）因再栓塞或血栓形成再手术治愈。结论:取栓术是急性下肢缺血的有效治疗方法，DSA下监测取栓有助于提高疗效。手术的效果取决于肢体缺血的时间和程度以及并发症的处理。     

Arterial embolectomy in the leg: Results in a referral hospital

The clinical characteristics and course of 90 patients in whom 121 arterial emboli occurred from 1968 to 1978 were reviewed. The factor that correlated most significantly with a favorable outcome was the interval from onset of symptoms until arterial embolectomy was performed. The results of embolectomy were excellent in the patients operated on within 6 hours of symptoms (amputation rate 4 percent, mortality rate 15 percent), but less favorable in the patients operated on within 6 to 12 hours of onset of symptoms (amputation rate 27 percent, mortality 40 percent). Mortality (48 percent) and amputation (52 percent) rates in the patients operated on 12 to 48 hours after onset of symptoms were excessive. It is recommended that immediate embolectomy be performed in all potentially viable extremities in patients who present within 12 hours of symptoms, but that after 12 hours only those limbs with obvious viability (not paralyzed or anesthetic) should be operated on. Alternatives for the remainder are high dose intravenous heparinization or expedient amputation. In patients who present greater than 60 hours after the onset of symptoms, embolectomy can be performed with low morbidity and mortality.     

Cause of wound complications in elderly patients with above-knee amputation

Seventy-six above-knee amputations performed on elderly debilitated patients were reviewed. Fifty-one wounds healed without complications; 25 amputation wounds developed postoperative complications. The quality of the femoral pulse has a significant effect on wound healing after an above-knee amputation. Other significant conditions that appear to influence the frequency of wound complications are hypertension, a failed bypass procedure to the groin, and angiographic evidence of stenosis or occlusion of the common femoral or the profunda femoral artery. Multiple variable analysis suggests a beneficial effect of antibiotics in patients with a diminished or absent femoral pulse. Age, presence of cardiac disease, diabetes, associated diseases and the use of drains have no significant effect on the outcome. Before an above-knee amputation, patients with a diminished femoral pulse should undergo arteriography and perhaps reconstructive surgery. Primary hip disarticulation may be the initial procedure of choice in the presence of multiple risk factors.     

Intra-operative arteriography in arterial embolectomy

In a retrospective study, 154 embolectomies in 135 patients with acute arterial occlusion were reviewed and the value of intraoperative arteriography studied. Included in the study were 69 embolectomies of the femoro-popliteal artery in 64 patients, and in 40 (58%) intra-operative arteriography was performed. Of these, 20 were done because of difficulty in passing the Fogarty catheter and/or absent backflow and 20 as a routine procedure where there was easy passage of the catheter and good backflow. In 29 embolectomies (42%) intra-operative arteriography was not performed because some surgeons, doubting the benefit of routine arteriography, did not use it. In 23 cases (58%) intra-operative arteriography led to an extension of the operation. Six out of 20 routine arteriograms (30%) showed incomplete clearance of the arterial tree, resulting in further embolectomy. The amputation rate was 17%, however in the group where routine arteriography was performed it was zero and significantly less than in the non-arteriogram group (23%). The use of intra-operative arteriography in arterial embolectomy surgery is recommended.     

Arterial embolectomy: a 34-year experience with 400 cases

A series of 400 peripheral arterial embolectomies performed in 326 patients over a 34-year period is presented. Operative mortality was 11.0 per cent overall and 10.0 per cent in patients after the introduction and use of Fogarty catheters. The plateau in mortality is related to the association with serious underlying cardiac disease. The amputation rate was 9.5 per cent, with a corresponding 90.5 per cent limb salvage rate. Cardiac disease was the most common cause of emboli and was responsible for the majority of deaths. Mortality was considerably higher in patients with aortic and iliac emboli and in patients with recent myocardial infarcts. Amputation rates were higher with femoral and popliteal emboli and correlated directly with the time delay from onset of symptoms to performance of embolectomy. Higher amputation rates in the second half of the series are related to liberalization of the indications for embolectomy. Prompt operative management of patients with peripheral arterial emboli remains the treatment of choice. Low mortality and amputation rates can be achieved with early embolectomy and routine use of heparin.     

Septic peripheral embolization from bacterial and fungal endocarditis

Arterial embolization is second only to cardiac failure as a potentially lethal complication of acute infectious endocarditis. Embolization may be encountered with increasing frequency due to the prolongation of life afforded by antibiotics and cardiac valve replacement surgery. While distal organs are more often affected, peripheral embolization of the lower extremities is by no means rare. Over a two-year period, we have treated six patients with acute infectious endocarditis who developed lower extremity ischemia. Four patients had Gram positive bacterial endocarditis while two immunosuppressed patients developed fungal endocarditis. Treatment of all six patients included lower extremity embolectomy or bypass grafting and long-term intravenous antimicrobial or antifungal therapy. Cardiac valve replacement was required in all six patients. All lower extremities were successfully reperfused, and no patient required amputation. Although the four patients with bacterial endocarditis survived, the two patients with fungal endocarditis eventually died. In conclusion, aggressive use of arteriography, embolectomy, antimicrobial drugs, and cardiac valve replacement appear to offer the best chance for survival and limb salvage for arterial embolism related to endocarditis.     

Pulmonary embolism associated with surgically proved deep venous thrombosis

In a prospective study, thrombosis of the femoral or popliteal veins was discovered at operation in nine of eighty-one patients requiring amputation of a lower extremity for arterial insufficiency. One week postoperatively, all nine patients had evidence of pulmonary embolism on the lung scan. Embolization was documented by arteriography in two patients and at autopsy in a third patient. In none of these patients was there clinical evidence of venous thrombosis prior to operation.Two of the subjects with proved thrombosis died during study, a mortality of 22 per cent, whereas the mortality for the entire group was 10 per cent.It is concluded that the deep venous system of patients requiring amputation for ischemia should be examined carefully at operation. These patients have a high incidence of deep venous thrombosis and the discovery of thrombus at the time of operation places them in a particularly high risk group.     

腹主动脉栓塞的外科治疗及围手术期处理

目的提高腹主动脉栓塞治疗水平。方法对26例腹主动脉栓塞患者采用经双股动脉Fogarty导管取栓15例,经腹取栓11例。结果26例患者手术后死亡8例,手术死亡率30.8%。其中经双股动脉取栓者死亡3例,死亡率20%,经腹取栓者死亡5例,死亡率45.5%。术后3例共3条肢体因缺血坏死行截肢术。经平均12.7年随访,除4例死于原发之心脏病外,余14例27条肢体无严重血液循环障碍。结论采用经双股动脉Fogarty导管取栓术及合理的围术期处理可明显降低手术死亡率。而针对病因的积极治疗可提高远期生存率。