Pitfalls
- Failure to differentiate between acute and chronic limb ischaemia
- Concentrating on the leg and forgetting the patient – remember analgesia, oxygen, IV fluids
- Failure to give intravenous heparin early (ALL patients)
- Failure to assess severity (Rutherford classification) which largely dictates urgency of intervention
- Attempting to revascularise the limb in a situation where either the patient or limb is non-salvageable