title: Age does not predict need for reintervention in patients with critical limb ischemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Conventional wisdom holds that patients with a need for intervention for femoropopliteal occlusive disease at a younger age have more aggressive disease, although there is a paucity of support in the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this assumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort of patients undergoing endovascular or open revascularization for femoropopliteal occlusive disease for critical limb ischemia during a 4-year period was assembled. Demographic information, comorbidities, disease characteristics, and time to last follow-up, repeat intervention, amputation, or death was recorded. The patients were stratified by age into a young (≤55 years) group, middle (56-77 years) group, and elderly (≥78 years) group. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to evaluate the primary outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 124 patients with a mean age of 64.4 ± 0.8 years. Progression to reintervention or amputation occurred in 50% of the patients during the follow-up period, with 18% dying before having an outcome. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a trend toward significance (P = .06) in time to reintervention, amputation, or death among the three groups, with time to event of 253, 1083, and 504 days for the young, middle, and elderly groups, respectively. However, differences based on age were not significant (P = .57) in Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There does not appear to be an association between time to reintervention and patient age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Torrent
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Jill N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zink
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Bogey
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: C Steven
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Dean J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. Electronic address: michael_stoner@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Michael Clinton
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Stoner
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D016638:Critical Illness; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D005263:Femoral Artery; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D023821:Limb Salvage; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D011150:Popliteal Artery; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality