Managing risk factors for atherosclerosis in critical limb ischaemia

Objective. To review the best medical management of critical limb ischaemia (CLI). Methods. Published studies dealing with CLI and risk factors were searched for via PUBMED. Findings and conclusions. Patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI) have a one and ten year mortality of approximately 20% and 75% respectively. Risk factors for the development of peripheral atherosclerosis are the same as for coronary and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis namely diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia, arterial hypertension, and smoking. As there are few studies of risk factor for peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), treatment recommendations are often based on studies in patients with coronary or cerebrovascular atherosclerosis. While waiting for specific studies, CLI patients should be treated according to current guidelines for other atherosclerotic patients.