PURPOSE: We reviewed our experience of treating acute peripheral arterial occlusion to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment prevents loss of function of the vital organs caused by ischemia threatening the extremities. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the records of 730 patients who underwent a collective total of 794 operations for peripheral arterial occlusion of the upper or lower extremities at Erzurum Numune Hospital between January 1984 and April 2004. RESULTS: The patients ranged in age from 11 to 86 years old, with a mean age of 58.7 years for men and 64.3 years for women. The underlying cause of arterial embolism was atrial fibrillation in most (433; 59.3%) patients. Two hundred and eleven (28.9%) patients were admitted less than 6 h preoperatively, 104 (14.2%) were admitted 6-12 h preoperatively, 194 (26.5%) were admitted 12-24 h preoperatively, and 221 (30.2%) were admitted more than 24 h preoperatively. All of the patients underwent embolectomy and 64 revisions were done. The overall mortality rate was 3.69%. CONCLUSIONS: The extremity preservation rate was related to the time delay between the onset of symptoms and surgical intervention.
PURPOSE: We reviewed our experience of treating acute peripheral arterial occlusion to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment prevents loss of function of the vital organs caused by ischemia threatening the extremities. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the records of 730 patients who underwent a collective total of 794 operations for peripheral arterial occlusion of the upper or lower extremities at Erzurum Numune Hospital between January 1984 and April 2004. RESULTS: The patients ranged in age from 11 to 86 years old, with a mean age of 58.7 years for men and 64.3 years for women. The underlying cause of arterial embolism was atrial fibrillation in most (433; 59.3%) patients. Two hundred and eleven (28.9%) patients were admitted less than 6 h preoperatively, 104 (14.2%) were admitted 6-12 h preoperatively, 194 (26.5%) were admitted 12-24 h preoperatively, and 221 (30.2%) were admitted more than 24 h preoperatively. All of the patients underwent embolectomy and 64 revisions were done. The overall mortality rate was 3.69%. CONCLUSIONS: The extremity preservation rate was related to the time delay between the onset of symptoms and surgical intervention.