Perioperative outcomes and amputation-free survival after lower extremity bypass surgery in California hospitals, 1996-1999, with follow-up through 2004

Long-term outcomes of LE bypass surgery were superior for high-volume hospital patients. Graft surveillance and risk factor follow-up care provide a major opportunity for quality improvement efforts. The contrast between traditional limb salvage and amputation-free survival outcomes raises questions about the value of surgical treatment, particularly for patients with limited life expectancy and without coding of tissue loss or critical limb ischemia.