In 2010, it was estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide were living with peripheral arterial disease. Chronic limbthreatening ischemia (CLTI) represents the end stage of peripheral arterial disease, which, left untreated, incurs a risk of major amputation, approaching 25% at 1 year. Despite the global scale and severe clinical consequences of CLTI, it has been poorly defined and variably managed. Prior guidelines, such as the Trans-atlantic Intersociety Consensus Document on the Management of Peripheral Arterial Disease (TASC II), have offered treatment recommendations based on disease anatomy alone. 1 A more contemporary, nuanced definition of the problem and thorough understanding of the state of evidence are required to guide medical treatment, revascularization strategies, and future study. 2
Characteristics of the Guideline SourceThree vascular societies formed the global vascular guideline initiative: the European Society for Vascular Surgery, the Society for Vascular Surgery, and the World Federation of Vascular Societies. The writing group was composed of 58 individuals from 24 countries and multiple medical and surgical specialties. Although the 3 sponsoring societies primarily represent vascular surgeons, these guidelines were endorsed by multiple international groups representing medical and interventional specialties. All funding for the guidelines was from the sponsoring societies. Direct industry funding of the guidelines was prohibited, and industry consultants were ex-cluded from both the writing and reviewing groups. Strict limits were set for contributing authors on industry income during work on the guidelines, and conflicts of interest were reported in detail. An open comment period was observed prior to publication.
Evidence BaseAuthors used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methods to rate recommendation strength and quality of evidence. Final grading was determined by the guideline developers and a methodologist. Four systematic reviews were commissioned, subjected to peer review, and published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, focusing on the natural history of CLTI, 3 nonrevascularization-based treatments, 4 and outcomes associated with revascularization. 5,6 The guidelines were published in the June 2019 issue of the