Factors Influencing Timely Diagnosis and Management of Acute Limb Ischemia (ALI) in Emergency Departments

Background: Acute limb ischemia (ALI)” is a potentially disabling condition Especially in younger patients, early recognition and prompt administration of appropriate therapy play a vital role in reducing mental distress, as well as loss of limbs and fatalities.Objectives: To determine frequency of various reasons for delayed presentation of acute limb ischemia (ALI) at Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Materials and Methods: It was a cross sectional study Conducted at Department of Vasculer Surgery Combine military Hospital Rawalpindi from june 2023 to November 2023. After inform consent all patients suspected having Acute limb ischemia were included in the study. Results: In our study, mean age was 45.52 ± 6.47 years. 45 (60.00%) patients were male while 30 (40.00%) were female. Mean duration of onset of symptoms was 10.67 ± 2.55 hours. Most common reason of delay in presentation was lack of patient access to the specialist vascular surgeon 25 (33.30%) followed by lack of awareness of the condition 19 (25.30%), financial constraints 13 (17.30%), lack of timely referral to the specialist vascular surgeon by the general practitioner 11 (14.70%) and delay in referral from the primary health care facility 7 (9.30%). In our study, frequency of loss of the limb in study participants was 13 (17.30%).Conclusion: Lack of patient access to the specialist vascular surgeon and disease awareness are the most common reasons for delayed patient presentation who suffers from “acute limb ischemia (ALI)”. Keywords: Acute Limb Ischemia, Awareness, Delayed Presentation, Reasons, Vascular Surgery.