Do Women Have Worse Amputation-Free Survival Than Men Following Endovascular Procedures for Peripheral Arterial Disease? An Evaluation of the California State-Wide Database.

ObjectivesFemale gender has been shown to negatively affect the outcomes of surgical bypass for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We examined gender-related disparities in outcomes of endovascular PAD procedures in a large population-based study.MethodsWe used discharge data from California hospitals to identify patients who had PAD interventions during 2005 to 2009. Logistic regression was used for 12-month reintervention, and Cox proportional hazard regression was used for amputation-free survival comparisons.ResultsA total of 25 635 patients had endovascular procedures (11 389 [44.4%] women). Women were more likely than men (34.5% vs 30.1%, P < .0001) to have critical limb ischemia (CLI). Twelve-month reintervention rate in women was similar to men. Amputation-free survival was better among women than men (hazard ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.93, P = .0006).ConclusionDespite presenting more frequently with CLI, women had better amputation-free survival than men following endovascular procedures. Future research should determine whether findings favor one type of PAD treatment modality over another for women.