[Characteristics and one-year follow-up of patients with peripheral arterial disease. Initial results of the COPART I registry].
BACKGROUND
Almost all patients with the most severe peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) patients are hospitalised. This means that the hospital is a particularly good place to observe the characteristics and outcome of PAD patients. It is for this reason that the hospitalised patient registry (COPART I) was created.


RESULTS
From June 1st 2004 to May 31st 2005, we included 187 patients surviving at hospital discharge. As expected the majority were men (68.4%). The median age was 72 (+/- 13 years). Almost one third of the PAD of patients suffered from intermittent claudication and two thir (63,6%) from permanent ischemia. A large majority of this latter group had critical limb ischemia. We found a mortality rate of 17.1% at the on year follow-up. These deaths were mainly of cardiovascular origin (9.1%). Almost 2/3 of the deaths had already occurred by six months. One patient in four undergone major or minor amputation during the follow up 2/3 of them involving major amputation. This figure rose to fou patients in ten for critical limb disease. A previous history of both major and minor amputation is strongly related with new amputations (RR = (CI: 1.2-7.5) P = 0.02). After one year of follow-up, almost four patients in ten (42.6%) with permanent ischemia had died, undergone major amputation, or suffered an MI or an IS.


CONCLUSIONS
Peripheral arterial disease remains a severe chronic disease linked to excess mortality of cardiovascular origin. Therefore patients should be given optimal treatment.
Vaysse
N
N
Service de médecine vasculaire, CHU Rangueil, 1, avenue du Professeur-J.-Poulhes, TSA 50032, 31059 Toulouse cedex 09, France. nicolas.vaysse@wanadoo.fr
Cambou
J P
JP
Labro
S
S
Guilhem
J M
JM
Severac
D
D
Boccalon
H
H
Rivière
A Bura
AB
D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D007511:Ischemia / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D012042:Registries