Drug-coated balloons in below-the-knee arteries

Felicitas Stoll1, Reyhan Uslu1, Erwin Blessing2

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Angiology, Pneumology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Insights

Drug-coated balloons (DCB) show promise for treating infrapopliteal peripheral artery disease, improving limb outcomes and reducing revascularization needs. This real-world data supports DCB use in below-the-knee interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Surgery
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Peripheral Artery Disease Management

Background:

  • Optimal interventional strategies for infrapopliteal peripheral artery disease (PAD) are actively sought.
  • The efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloons (DCB) in crural interventions remain debated due to conflicting study results.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the real-world outcomes of drug-coated balloon (DCB) interventions in patients with infrapopliteal peripheral artery disease (PAD).
  • To assess the safety and effectiveness of DCB in below-the-knee interventions for Rutherford categories 3-6 PAD.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 75 infrapopliteal DCB interventions in 68 patients with PAD (Rutherford category 3-6).
  • Evaluation of clinical outcomes including freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR), ulcer healing, and freedom from major amputation and death at 365 days.

Main Results:

  • 68% freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 365 days.
  • 78% ulcer healing or significant improvement at six months.
  • 82% freedom from major amputation and death at 365 days.
  • A significant difference in freedom from major amputation and death was observed between patients with (76.2%) and without (91.5%) diabetes mellitus (p=0.049).

Conclusions:

  • Real-world data suggests favorable outcomes for DCB treatment in below-the-knee interventions for PAD.
  • DCB interventions demonstrate potential for improving limb salvage and reducing revascularization needs in complex infrapopliteal lesions.
  • Further research is warranted to solidify the role of DCB in PAD treatment strategies.

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