Vascular Surgery

Acute limb ischaemia is defined as a sudden decrease in limb perfusion that results in potential threat to the viability of the limb. It results from a sudden obstruction in the arterial flow mainly due to embolism or thrombosis and rarely by dissection or trauma. The occurrence of this case is almost 1.5 cases per 10,000 persons per year. Symptoms begins over a period of hours or days from new or worsening intermittent claudication to pain in foot or leg, muscle weakness, and paralysis of the affected limb. The rapid onset of limb ischemia results from sudden blockage of blood supply and nutrients to tissues and nerves of the limb; threatening limb viability due to insufficient time for new blood vessel growth to compensate for loss of perfusion. The primary intervention for acute limb ischemia is emergency embolectomy or vascular bypass to route the blood flow.