Correlating clinical indicators of lower-limb ischaemia with quality of life

Spark, I; Chetter, IC; Chetter, I; Dolan, P; Spark, JI; Scott, DJA; Kester, RC

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to analyse the impact of increasing lower-limb ischaemia upon quality of life and to assess the correlation between clinical indicators of lower-limb ischaemia and such quality. A prospective observational study of a consecutive series of 235 patients (144 men and 91 women; median age 68 (range 41-87) years presenting with varying degrees of lower-limb ischaemia graded according to ISCVS criteria was performed. Data was collected at interview before any intervention. Clinical indicators of lower-limb perfusion included: intermittent claudication and maximum walking distance on standardized treadmill testing; ankle:brachial pressure indices and isotope limb blood flow. Quality of life analysis was performed using the EuroQol (EQ) questionnaire. This is a standardized generic instrument for describing health-related quality of life and consists of a descriptive system of five dimensions, each measured on three levels. Thus, a profile and two single indices of quality of life were derived using different methods. Increasing lower-limb ischaemia results in a statistically significant deterioration in both global quality of life and in all EQ-measured quality of life dimensions (P<0.01 Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA). The correlation between clinical indicators and quality of life is statistically significant but not sufficiently close (correlation coefficients <0.6) to assume that variations in clinical indicators result in reciprocal variations in quality of life. In conclusion, as might be expected, a significant correlation exists between clinical indicators of lower-limb ischaemia and health-related quality of life. However, the low correlation coefficients emphasize how tenuous the association is. Thus, a significant improvement in the clinical indicators of lower-limb ischaemia cannot be assumed to impart a similar benefit on quality of life. The latter concept must therefore be analysed independently.

Citation

Chetter, I., Dolan, P., Spark, J., Scott, D., & Kester, R. (1997). Correlating clinical indicators of lower-limb ischaemia with quality of life. Cardiovascular Surgery -Oxford-, 5(4), 361-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0967-2109%2897%2900011-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 31, 1997
• Publication Date: 1997-07
• Journal: Cardiovascular Surgery
• Print ISSN: 0967-2109
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 361-366
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0967-2109%2897%2900011-2
• Keywords: Surgery; Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging; Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/432648