This is a plain-English translation of the academic paper above, prepared for patients, referring clinicians, and other non-specialist readers. It preserves the structure of the original paper while removing technical jargon. For the full clinical paper, follow the PubMed or DOI links.
Background
Whether restoring the blood supply to the lower leg — a procedure called revascularization — before foot or ankle surgery reduces the chance of post-operative wound infection in patients with peripheral vascular disease.
Rationale
Patients with poor circulation to the foot are at much higher risk of wound problems after surgery. The intuitive answer is to fix the blood supply first. But until this paper, no specific study had proven that taking that extra step actually reduced infection rates.
What did we conclude
The general evidence on poor blood supply and wound infection is overwhelming. The specific evidence that pre-operative revascularization reduces infection in foot/ankle surgery is, surprisingly, sparse. The biologically plausible answer is that revascularization should help, but the formal evidence base has gaps.
Implications
If you have peripheral vascular disease and need foot/ankle surgery, ask whether your blood supply has been formally assessed and whether revascularization should happen first. The intuitive answer is usually yes, even where the formal trial evidence isn’t complete.
Source: Heidari N, Charalambous A, Kwok I, Vris A, Li Y. Does Revascularization Prior to Foot and Ankle Surgery Reduce the Incidence of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)?. Foot & Ankle International 2019. PMID: 31322950.
Read original on PubMed → ← Back to research library