Is Revascularization Warranted for Patients with Intermittent Claudication?

The mainstay of treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication is exercise, smoking cessation, and management of vascular risk factors. Invasive treatment (percutaneous or surgical revascularization) is warranted for limb-threatening ischemia, but its role in patients with stable claudication is unclear. In this single-site retrospective study of 1051 patients with intermittent claudication, University of Kentucky researchers compared outcomes for medically managed patients (69%) and revascularized patients (31%) who were treated between 2003 and 2019. Patients who underwent revascularization for limb-threatening ischemia were excluded.

In analyses adjusted for confounding variables, eventual developmen…