Again ... Avoid Early Peripheral Vascular Intervention for Stable Claudication

In a 4-year observational study, patients with claudication who underwent invasive intervention within 6 months of diagnosis had higher rates of adverse outcomes.

Recent evidence suggests that early invasive peripheral vascular intervention (e.g., angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy) should be avoided in patients with intermittent vascular claudication and no evidence of limb-threatening ischemia (NEJM JW Gen Med Oct 15 2021 and J Vasc Surg 2021; 74:771). In this new study, researchers used U.S. Medicare claims data to identify 187,000 patients with new diagnoses of claudication between 2015 and 2017. Within 6 months after first diagnosis of claudication, about 6000 patients underwent peripheral vascular intervention, despite no documentation of limb-threatening ischemia. Long-term outcomes for these patients were compared with outcomes in the 181,000 patients who did not undergo early intervention.

Du…

Reviewing Author

Allan S. Brett, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Allan S. Brett, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Again ... Avoid Early Peripheral Vascular Intervention for Stable Claudication

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Reviewing Author