Background Availability and diversity of lower limb revascularisation procedures have increased in in the past decade, co-inciding with the reconfiguration of vascular services in the United Kingdom. The aim of our study was to investigate whether these developments in care have translated to improvements in patient outcomes.

Methods We used data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) to identify patients who underwent endovascular or surgical (endarterectomy, profundaplasty or bypass) lower limb revascularisation for infrainguinal peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in England in 2006–2013. Major lower limb amputations and deaths were ascertained from HES and Office for National Statistics mortality register. Associations of revascularisation procedures with amputation and death outcomes were investigated using Fine-Grey competing risks regression, with adjustment for patient age, sex and comorbidity score. We examined the possible impact of patient selection by stratifying our analyses by indication for revascularisation (intermittent claudication only; severe limb ischaemia without tissue loss; severe limb ischaemia with ulceration; severe limb ischaemia with gangrene).

Results Over the 8 year study period the overall number of endovascular revascularisations increased and the number of surgical procedures decreased: the evidence for this trend was the clearest among patients with the most severe underlying disease (severe limb ischaemia with ulceration or gangrene). The 1 year risk of major amputation reduced from 5.9% (in 2006–07) to 5.5% (in 2012–13) following endovascular evascularization and from 10.8% (2006–07) to 7.4% (2012–13) following surgical procedures (p<0.0001). The risk of death after both types of procedures also decreased, whilst the number of comorbidities and the proportions of patients with more severe underlying disease increased.

Discussion Our findings suggest that patient outcomes following lower limb revascularisation have improved during a period of centralisation and specialisation of vascular services in the United Kingdom, despite higher morbidity and an increasing proportion of patients treated for the severe end of the PAD spectrum.