Nottingham health profile scores predict the outcome and support aggressive revascularisation for critical ischaemia

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Health-Related Quality of Life

Background:

• Critical limb ischemia (CLI) significantly impacts patient quality of life.
• Peripheral arterial reconstruction is a key treatment for CLI.
• Assessing the impact of revascularization on patient well-being is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after peripheral arterial reconstruction in patients with CLI.
• To determine if surgical outcomes align with patient expectations.

Main Methods:

• Prospective evaluation of 60 CLI patients using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP).
• HRQoL assessments were conducted pre-operatively and at 3 and 12 months post-arterial reconstruction.
• Patients reported on expectation fulfillment and perceived treatment value at 12 months.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in NHP scores for pain and sleep were observed at 3 months post-surgery (p < 0.05).
• These improvements in pain and sleep quality were sustained at the 12-month follow-up.
• Primary amputation and mortality rates were 5% and 3% respectively, with 12-month rates at 12% for both.

Conclusions:

• Peripheral arterial reconstruction effectively enhances HRQoL in CLI patients.
• Pre-operative patient perceptions of health status are linked to the overall success of the surgical intervention.