Important differences between quality of life and health status in elderly patients suffering from critical limb ischemia.

Introduction: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients are often of advanced age with reduced health status (HS) and quality of life (QoL) at baseline. Physical health is considered as the most affected domain due to reduced mobility and ischemic pain. QoL and HS are often used interchangeably in the current literature.

Is amputation in the elderly patient with critical limb ischemia acceptable in the long term?

Purpose: Despite high amputation rates, data on patient-reported outcomes is scarce in the elderly population with critical limb ischemia. The aim of this study was to provide mortality rates and long-term changes of the following patient-reported outcomes in elderly critical limb ischemia amputees: quality of life (QoL), health status (HS), and symptoms of depression.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, amputated critical limb ischemia patients ≥70 years were included.