Clinical characteristics of Japanese diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia presenting Fontaine stage IV.

The aim of the current study was to reveal the clinical characteristics of Japanese diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) presenting ischemic unhealed ulcer/gangrene (Fontaine stage IV) in the real-world settings. The current retrospective cross-sectional study included consecutive 282 Japanese diabetic patients who underwent endovascular therapy for CLI presenting Fontaine stage IV. The prevalence of diabetes-related complications was estimated adopting multiple imputation (50 times). The patients were aged 70 ± 10 years. Median duration of diabetes was 21 (interquartile range 12-31) years. The prevalence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, end-stage renal disease on regular dialysis, stroke, coronary artery disease, and chronic heart failure was estimated at 48% (95% confidence interval 39-56%), 52% (46-58%), 34% (28-39%), 48% (42-54%), and 35% (29-41%), respectively. The prevalence of stroke, coronary artery disease, and chronic heart failure was not significantly associated with the duration of diabetes (all p > 0.05). On the other hand, the prevalence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and end-stage renal disease on regular dialysis was significantly positively associated with the duration of diabetes (both p < 0.05). However, these prevalences reached as high as ~ 30% even in patients with duration of diabetes < 10 years. In conclusion, the advanced stage of diabetes-related complications was prevalent in patients with CLI presenting Fontaine stage IV.