Value of the deep femoral artery as alternative inflow source in infrainguinal bypass surgery.

Background The purpose of this study was to analyze the long-term results of infrainguinal bypass surgery using the deep femoral artery (DFA) as the inflow source. Methods Between 1998 and 2011, 88 bypasses of the lower limb were placed in 86 patients (mean age 71 years) using the deep femoral artery as inflow. Patients' records were retrieved from a computerized database and analyzed retrospectively. Results Critical limb ischemia (rest pain/tissue loss) was the indication in the majority (87.5%) of cases. The distal anastomosis of the bypass grafts was located at the popliteal level in 32 cases and the tibial (pedal) level in 52 cases, respectively, with the autologous vein as conduit in …