Three-year clinical outcome after infrapopliteal angioplasty for critical limb ischemia in hemodialysis patients with minor or major tissue loss.

OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND: Among hemodialysis (HD)-dependent patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), Endovascular therapy (EVT) of isolated infrapopliteal lesions improves limb salvage. Accordingly, we sought to determine the outcomes of this group of patients based on the extent of tissue loss at baseline.

METHODS: From 2004 to 2011, 449 consecutive HD patients with CLI had ischemic wounds and underwent EVT for isolated infrapopliteal lesions. The "minor tissue loss" (MI) group was confirmed by 340 HD patients with wounds located distal to the metatarsophalangeal joints, and the "major tissue loss" (MA) group included 109 HD patients with wounds that extended beyond this point. The two groups were compared for limb salvage and amputation free survival (AFS) rates by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the percentage of diabetic patients (MI: 76.5 vs. MA: 75.2%). The percentage with direct flow to the wound site was lower in the MA group than in the MI group (MI: 63.5 vs. MA: 45.9%, P < 0.01). After EVT the MI group had a significantly better limb salvage rate (MI: 83.7 vs. MA: 71.2% at 3 years, P < 0.01), and AFS rate (MI: 44.1 vs. MA: 29.1% at 3 years, P < 0.01) compared to the MA group.

CONCLUSIONS: EVT is an efficient treatment for HD patients with minor tissue loss, achieving >80% limb salvage rates at 3 years. However, AFS rates in all HD patients with tissue loss are <50% at 3 years, making their prognosis poor.