부산대학교 도서관

The socio-economic importance of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is often underestimated, although data on morbidity and mortality are compelling. About a third of all patients in retirement seen by the general practitioner have significant PAOD resulting in impaired health related quality of life and reduced longevity when compared to the healthy population. Thus, especially in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), the main emphasis should be placed on clinical outcomes such as the healing of foot defects, survival without amputation and analysis of quality of life rather than on graft patency rates and limb salvage rates after bypass grafting. Altogether, in patients with extensive femorocrural arterial occlusions and CLI, autogenous femoropedal bypass grafts represent a viable option for avoiding major amputation. In particular, diabetics with short tibioperoneal arterial lesions benefit from arterial reconstruction of perimalleolar or foot arteries, even though their life expectancy is reduced.