A Comparison of Outcomes Based on Vessel Type (Native Artery vs. Bypass Graft) and Artery Location (Below-Knee Artery vs. Non-Below-Knee Artery) Using a Combination of Multiple Endovascular Techniques for Acute Lower Limb Ischemia

Background To evaluate outcomes of endovascular treatment (EVT) using a combination of multiple endovascular techniques for acute lower limb ischemia (ALLI) and to compare outcomes based on vessel type and artery location. Methods A total of 95 consecutive patients with ALLI (mean age, 72.0 years; 65 males; 104 lower limbs) who received emergency EVT using a combination of multiple endovascular techniques including thrombolysis, aspiration thrombectomy, stenting, and balloon angioplasty with or without surgical thromboembolectomy, between January 2005 and December 2017 were included. Vessel type was classified into native artery occlusion (native occlusion) and bypass graft occlusion (graft occlusion), including prosthetic and vein graft. Additionally, native arteries were categorized into below-knee occlusion and non-below-knee occlusion. Technical success, perioperative death (POD), ALLI-related death, amputation, amputation-free survival (AFS), and complications were compared according to vessel type (native occlusion vs. graft occlusion) and artery location (below-knee occlusion vs. non-below-knee occlusion). Results Of all patients with ALLI, 16.8% underwent a single endovascular technique, whereas 83.2% underwent a combination of multiple endovascular techniques. The technicalsuccess, POD, and ALLI-related death rates in the total number of patients were 94.7%, 11.6%, and 4.2%, respectively. A total of 67 patients (75 limbs) and 28 patients (29 limbs) were classified as having native occlusion and graft occlusion (prosthetic, 24 limbs; vein, 5 limbs), respectively. No significant differences in technical success (native occlusion: 92.5% vs. graft occlusion: 100%), POD (14.9% vs. 3.6%), and ALLI-related death (6.0% vs. 0%) were noted between native occlusion and graft occlusion. However, the 30-day AFS rate of native occlusion was significantly lower than that of graft occlusion (75.2% vs. 96.3%, P=0.01). The amputation rate (P=0.03) and AFS rate (P=0.03) of below-knee occlusion were significantly worse for below-knee occlusion patients than for non-below-knee occlusion patients. Conclusions EVT using multiple endovascular techniques for ALLI is effective and safe. A combination of multiple endovascular techniques is crucial for successful treatment. However, native occlusion may have a lower AFS rate than graft occlusion, and below-knee occlusion may have a higher risk of amputation than non-below-knee occlusion.