Functional outcomes after successful lower extremity arterial injuries repair

The study was conducted to measure functional outcome of patients who had successful lower extremity arterial reconstruction after vascular injury at a tertiary care centre in Karachi over 5 years from January 2008 to December 2013. In this descriptive cohort study, the functional outcomes were assessed with lower extremity functional scale (LEFS). The mean age the 75 patients in the study was 32±11 years. Limb salvage was successful in 72(96%) cases. The most common injured artery was superficial femoral artery 30(40%) followed by popliteal artery 19(25%). The most common method of repair was end-to-end using either polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft 43(57%) or vein interposition grafting 19(25%). Two (2.66%) patients with delayed presentation had secondary amputation. One (1.33%) patient had graft infection. Acceptable good functional outcome was noted with a mean LEFS of 72±8.