The influence of age on long-term survival pattern of patients operated on for lower limb ischaemia

To study the long-term survival patterns of patients subjected to surgery for lower limb ischaemia.

A retrospective clinical study.

University Hospital.

A series of 1411 patients older than 50 years operated on for all stages of lower limb ischaemia.

Observed and expected long-term survival rates were calculated. Relative survival, defined as the ratio of the observed to the expected survival rates, was studied for age influence.

The observed 10 year survival rate of 26% was significantly lower than the expected of 49%. Although women were 8 years older than men at the time of the operation they had similar long-term survival and relative survival. An inverse proportionality was found between the patient's age at the time of the operation and relative survival. The young patients experienced a 10 year mortality rate three to four times the expected, while the older had a mortality that was elevated 25-50% from the expected.

Patients operated on for lower limb ischaemia experience a significantly lower long-term survival than that of a demographically matched population. This relative survival is significantly influenced by the patient's age at the time of the operation.