Characteristics of patients operated on because of suspected arterial embolism: a multivariate analysis

In order to improve the understanding and classification of patients with suspected arterial embolism, we performed a loglinear analysis to study the interactions among eight characteristics in 202 patients operated on as a result of this diagnosis. Female patients were generally older, were in a poorer cardiac state (NYHA class), and had shorter duration of symptoms before operation than male patients. Atrial dysrhythmias were more common in women than in men less than 75 years of age. After the age of 75, however, the incidence was similar in both sexes. Thus, apparently, poor cardiac function is more commonly associated with acute arterial occlusion in women than in men. In men arterial thrombosis secondary to arteriosclerotic occlusive disease may be more frequent. Ischemic heart disease, age of more than 75 years, and the fact that the patient was a woman were independent predictors of poor cardiac function. Atrial dysrhythmias increased the odds for proximal arterial occlusion compared with distal occlusion, but only in NYHA class 1-2, which suggests that low cardiac output might be of importance in distal thrombotic occlusion in patients with both atrial dysrhythmia and poor cardiac function. Patients with arteriosclerosis had symptoms of longer duration than patients without arteriosclerosis and men had symptoms of longer duration than women, which indicate that the diagnosis was more uncertain, or the disease less severe, in these patients. In patients without evidence of ischemic heart disease, poor cardiac function was a predictor of short duration of symptoms, which suggests that patients with nonatherosclerotic heart disease were correctly treated for arterial emboli without undue delay.