Introduction. - Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a frequent and serious condition with a risk of mortality comparable to that of certain cancers. However, in France, the literature on this medical condition is scarce and data on management, incidence of complications and prognosis are tacking.Purposes. - The COPART I registry, set up in June 2004, in the Vascular Medicine Department of the University Hospital of Toulouse, France, constitutes an observational database on hospitalized patients with PAD, in order to evaluate management, follow-up and prognosis of the patients. The aim of the present work is to compare medical prescriptions at hospital discharge, with the recent guidelines of the French High Authority of Health.Methods. - All consecutive patients with PAD, hospitalized in the Vascular Medicine Department of the University of Toulouse, between June 1, 2004 and July 31, 2006 were included. Only surviving patients were analysed.Results. - Four hundred patients were included in the study. As expected, the majority were mate (70%). Common cardiovascular risk factors were: arterial hypertension (66.7%), dyslipidemia (58.9%), diabetes (42.9%), and smoking (27.4%). Three patients out of 10 had claudication intermittens, nearly two out of 10 patients complained of persistent pain, and four out of 10 patients had Leriche and Fontaine stage IV arteriopathy. At hospital discharge, 86.9% of the patients were taking at least one antiptatetet treatment, 71.2% a statin, 54% a renin-angiotensin-system inhibitor. Nearly 66% of the patients (65.8%) received at least one antiplatelet agent and a statin. Nearly 50% of the patients (49.4%) had the three drugs recommended by the French High Authority of Health. We observed a change in prescription practices for statins (+30%), as welt as for prescription of evidence-based tri-therapy (+29%) between 2004 and 2006.Conclusion. - Treatments prescribed at hospital discharge of patient with PAD included in the COPART I registry are in compliance with the French High Authority of Health guidelines concerning antiplatelet drugs and statins. Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system seem insufficiently used. However, favorable trends in medical practices between 2004 and 2006 have been observed. (C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.

Almost all patients with the most severe peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) patients are hospitalised. This means that the hospital is a particularly good place to observe the characteristics and outcome of PAD patients. It is for this reason that the hospitalised patient registry (COPART I) was created.From June 1st 2004 to May 31st 2005, we included 187 patients surviving at hospital discharge. As expected the majority were men (68.4%). The median age was 72 (+/- 13 years). Almost one third of the PAD of patients suffered from intermittent claudication and two thir (63,6%) from permanent ischemia. A large majority of this latter group had critical limb ischemia. We found a mortality rate of 17.1% at the on year follow-up. These deaths were mainly of cardiovascular origin (9.1%). Almost 2/3 of the deaths had already occurred by six months. One patient in four undergone major or minor amputation during the follow up 2/3 of them involving major amputation. This figure rose to fou patients in ten for critical limb disease. A previous history of both major and minor amputation is strongly related with new amputations (RR = (CI: 1.2-7.5) P = 0.02). After one year of follow-up, almost four patients in ten (42.6%) with permanent ischemia had died, undergone major amputation, or suffered an MI or an IS.Peripheral arterial disease remains a severe chronic disease linked to excess mortality of cardiovascular origin. Therefore patients should be given optimal treatment.

INTRODUCTION:Almost all patients with the most severe peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) patients are hospitalised. This means that the hospital is a particularly good place to observe the characteristics and outcome of PAD patients. It is for this reason that the hospitalised patient registry (COPART I) was created.RESULTS:From June 1st 2004 to May 31st 2005, we included 187 patients surviving at hospital discharge. As expected the majority were men (68.4%). The median age was 72 (+/- 13 years). Almost one third of the PAD of patients suffered from intermittent claudication and two thir (63,6%) from permanent ischemia. A large majority of this latter group had critical limb ischemia. We found a mortality rate of 17.1% at the on year follow-up. These deaths were mainly of cardiovascular origin (9.1%). Almost 2/3 of the deaths had already occurred by six months. One patient in four undergone major or minor amputation during the follow up 2/3 of them involving major amputation. This figure rose to fou patients in ten for critical limb disease. A previous history of both major and minor amputation is strongly related with new amputations (RR = (CI: 1.2-7.5) P = 0.02). After one year of follow-up, almost four patients in ten (42.6%) with permanent ischemia had died, undergone major amputation, or suffered an MI or an IS.CONCLUSION:Peripheral arterial disease remains a severe chronic disease linked to excess mortality of cardiovascular origin. Therefore patients should be given optimal treatment.