Multi-institutional outcomes after femoropopliteal bypass in octogenarians

Objectives Open lower extremity revascularization is controversial among octogenarians; however, the indications for surgical bypass are higher in the elderly population. The aim of the study was to compare postoperative outcomes between octogenarians and non-octogenarians following femoropopliteal bypass surgery. Methods Our regional, multi-institutional database was queried for femoropopliteal bypass procedures performed between 1995 and 2020. Electronic medical records were individually reviewed for operative and postoperative data. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were utilized to determine predictors of postoperative outcomes. Results Among 1315 patients who underwent femoropopliteal bypass, 234 (17.8%) were octogenarians. Octogenarians more frequently underwent bypass for lower extremity tissue loss (48.7% vs 30.2%), whereas claudication was more common among non-octogenarians (24.0% vs 9.8%) ( p < .001). Below-knee bypass target (72.2% vs 59.3%) and prosthetic conduit utilization (58.5% vs 43.7%) were more frequent in octogenarians ( p < .001 each). Overall hospital length of stay was longer among patients > 80 years (median 6 days [interquartile range [IQR] 4–9] vs 5 days [IQR 4–8], p = .017). The overall 30-day (5.6% vs 1.5%) and one-year mortality rates (25.6% vs 7.9%) were higher among octogenarians ( p < .001 each). On multivariable analysis, age greater than 80 years was found to be an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality (OR 3.79 [1.75–8.20], p = .0007) Conclusions Octogenarians undergoing bypass femoropopliteal bypass surgery have considerably worse postoperative outcomes, compared with non-octogenarians. These data may help inform elderly patients prior to undergoing open lower extremity revascularization.