Renal artery stenosis predicts adverse cardiovascular and renal outcome in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Background: Patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) are considered cardiovascular high-risk patients. Our aim was to investigate whether incidental renal artery stenosis (RAS) increases the risk for adverse cardiovascular and renal outcomes in these patients.

Materials And Methods: We prospectively enrolled 487 consecutive patients admitted for revascularization of symptomatic PAD and performed a renal overview angiogram categorizing RAS as absent (0-29%), moderate (30-59%) and severe (>or= 60%) respectively. Clinical follow-up was for median 15 months (IQR 12-22) for the occurrence of major adverse events [MAE: composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary bypass surgery, amputation and kidney failure]. Glomerular filtration rates (GFR) were obtained at 12 months to quantify the course of renal function.

Results: A severe RAS was found in 76 patients (15.6%). Overall MAE occurred in 121 patients (24.8%), the composite endpoint of MI, stroke, amputation and death occurred in 101 patients (20.7%). Patients with a severe RAS had a 1.87-fold increased adjusted risk for MAE (95% CI 1.12-3.12, P = 0.017), a 2.51-fold increased adjusted risk for occurrence of the composite endpoint of MI, stroke, amputation and death (95% CI 1.45-4.34, P = 0.001) and a 2.93-fold increased risk for death (95% CI 1.41-6.08, P = 0.004), compared to those of patients without RAS respectively. We observed a significant association between the decrease of GFR over the 12-month follow-up period and the severity of RAS by multivariable analysis (P = 0.044).

Conclusion: Severe RAS in patients with symptomatic PAD is an independent predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events, adverse renal outcome and mortality.