Intraprocedural regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) values measured by near-infrared spectroscopy during endovascular treatment may be useful in the prediction of postoperative wound healing in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischaemia.
Intraprocedural rSO2 values were significantly higher in patients whose wounds healed within one year compared to those whose wounds did not heal.
ROC curve analysis identified an optimal cut-off intraprocedural rSO2 value of 47.0% for predicting wound healing within one year.
The study enrolled 34 patients with CLTI who successfully underwent EVT between April 2018 and March 2022.
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based rSO2 measurement during EVT was investigated as a tool to evaluate limb blood flow in a setting where such evaluation is otherwise difficult.
This research suggests that measuring oxygen levels in the tissues of the foot or lower leg during a procedure to restore blood flow (endovascular treatment, or EVT) can help predict whether wounds will heal in patients with a severe form of poor circulation called chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI). Using a non-invasive device that shines near-infrared light through the skin (near-infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS), doctors measured regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) in the affected limb while the procedure was being performed. Patients whose wounds had healed one year later had noticeably higher oxygen readings during the procedure (about 51%) compared to those whose wounds had not healed (about 44%). The researchers found that an rSO2 reading of 47% or above during the procedure was a useful threshold: values at or above this level correctly identified patients who would go on to heal in about 87% of cases, and correctly identified those who would not heal in about 74% of cases. This is notable because it is generally very hard to assess blood flow to the limb in real time during these procedures using standard methods. This research suggests that incorporating NIRS-based oxygen monitoring into endovascular procedures for CLTI could give clinicians an early, practical signal about how well a patient's wound is likely to respond to treatment. This could potentially help guide decisions about further interventions or wound care planning, though the study was small (34 patients) and retrospective, meaning larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Tsuyuki H, Sano M, Inuzuka K, Katahashi K, Kayama T, Yamanaka Y, et al.. (2026). Regional tissue oxygen saturation as an indicator of wound healing during endovascular treatment for chronic limb-threatening ischaemia.. Journal of wound care. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2023.0211