Acute leg ischaemia

摘要

A 55 year old man consulted his general practitioner complaining of persistent pain in his left leg for three days and a numb feeling in the foot. He was taking treatment for hypertension, had a history of low back pain, and was a smoker of 20 cigarettes a day. His foot looked normal, but sensation seemed mildly reduced. The general practitioner noted a weak dorsalis pedis pulse. A diagnosis of sciatica was made, diclofenac was prescribed, and the patient was invited to return a week later if no better. Six days later he presented to a local emergency department because of intolerable pain and was found to have a profoundly ischaemic left leg necessitating an above knee amputation.