Limb salvage surgery in end stage renal disease: is it worthwhile?

The role of limb salvage surgery in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) is controversial. In view of this debate, we reviewed our experience with 54 primary and 15 secondary revascularizations for limb salvage in patients with ESRD over the past decade. Thirty-seven patients required dialysis and 10 had functioning renal transplants. Severe limb threatening ischemia was the indication for all revascularizations. The 2-year cumulative secondary graft patency rate was 56.2% with an associated limb salvage rate of 71.4%. There was no significant difference in graft patency or limb salvage rates between patients requiring dialysis and those with functioning renal allografts (p = 0.5). The 30-day operative mortality for the 99 surgical procedures (69 arterial bypasses and 30 additional operations) was 13% and the 2-year patient survival was 45.6%. Six of the 15 amputations were performed despite a patent graft on limbs which had extensive infection and gangrene. We conclude that limb salvage surgery should only be undertaken with recognition of these risks in patients with ESRD or functioning renal transplants. Surgery should be performed before gangrene and infection become extensive. Patients with unrelenting infection or mid-forefoot gangrene should be considered for primary amputation.