Outcome
The outcome depends on the general state of the patient and the duration of ischaemia. The older patient with heart disease does not do well with about a 25% death rate. The risk of amputation increases markedly after 24 hours of ischaemia. The rate is 9% if treatment is within 24 hours and rises to 23% after this time.
Some patients die after an apparently successful operation. The reason for this is that many toxins accumulate in the ischaemic muscles and restoration of blood flow washes these toxins out into the circulation where they have adverse effects on the heart, lungs and kidneys.