Impact of diabetes mellitus on 5-year clinical outcomes following successful endovascular revascularization for peripheral artery disease

Endovascular therapy is a viable treatment option for symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for PAD. We evaluated the long-term impact of diabetes mellitus in patients with PAD who underwent endovascular therapy. In this prospective registry of 765 patients who underwent endovascular therapy for symptomatic PAD, 560 had diabetes and 205 did not have diabetes. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to adjust for any potential confounders. The primary endpoints were 5-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACE) and major adverse limb events (MALE). After PSM analysis, baseline clinical and limb characteristics were similar in patients with diabetes and in patients without diabetes. Patients with diabetes had a higher rate of major hematoma (> 4 cm) (9.9% vs 3.3%, p = 0.038). At 5-year clinical follow-up, patients with diabetes and patients without diabetes had similar rates of MACE (20.7% vs 20.7%, log rank p = 0.989) and MALE (19.8% vs 24.5%, log rank p = 0.312), as well as the individual endpoints. In subgroup analysis adjusted by PSM, female patients with diabetes had a higher risk of MALE (hazard ratio 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.69, p = 0.004). Although there was a higher rate of major hematoma, patients with diabetes who underwent endovascular therapy had similar 5-year cardiac and vascular outcomes compared with patients without diabetes. Bleeding avoidance strategies, including optimal antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy, and meticulous vascular access techniques, are needed in patients with diabetes to reduce the risk of bleeding and its deleterious impact on morbidity and mortality.