Immediate post-operative urokinase infusion: extending the limits of limb salvage surgery

We report the case of a 74-year-old woman with multi-level arterial occlusive disease and severe ischemia of the right lower extremity who underwent a re-operative femoro-femoral and a right femoro-popliteal bypass graft. Her right foot remained non-viable post-operatively despite patent grafts. She then underwent a 12-hour infusion of urokinase through a percutaneously placed popliteal artery catheter during that first post-operative day, with salvage of the right leg.