A Retrospective Study of the Effects of Iloprost Infusion on Peripheral Arterial Oxygen Saturation in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia

Purpose: To determine the usefulness of pulse oximetry in patients receiving iloprost infusion for treatment of critical limb ischemia unsuitable for revascularization. Material and methods: A total of 42 patients [28 male, mean age 61.80±5.81 years] were included. Patients were those who considered as unsuitable for revascularization based on angiographic study and received single-dose infusion of iloprost at 2.0 ng/kg/min for 8 hours daily. The treatment was planned to last for about two weeks. Ankle brachial index values and peripheral arterial oxygen saturation values using pulse oximetry were obtained before and after the treatment. Results: Treatment was complete in 42 patients. A total of 23 patients [54.7%] had pain relief and 15 patients [35.7%] had improvement in walking. Percentage changes in ankle brachial index and peripheral arterial oxygen saturation values were not significantly correlated [r=0.229, p=0.15]. Both ankle brachial index and peripheral arterial oxygen saturation values showed significant improvement after completion of the treatment. Percentage change in peripheral arterial oxygen saturation showed significant correlation with pain relief [r=0.449, p=0.003] whereas showed no correlation with improvement in walking [r=0.298, p=0.053]. Conclusion: Iloprost infusion seems promising in patients with critical limb ischemia and its use is associated with better oxygen delivery to the ischemic lower extremity tissue, which might be easily assessed using pulse oximetry.