
Acute limb ischaemia
Mate rehu ohotata iti ā-tinana
Acute limb ischaemia is a medical emergency. If you think you have the symptoms of acute limb ischaemia, go to the hospital's emergency department.
The typical symptoms of acute limb ischaemia are referred to as the "six P’s”:
- pain – your limb is painful, even when at rest
- pale – your skin is pale or mottled
- pulse – your limb doesn't have a pulse
- perishing cold – your limb feels cold
- pins and needles
- paralysis – you can't move the limb.
Acute limb ischaemia (isc-ee-mi-a) is the sudden lack of blood supply to an arm or leg. It's most commonly caused by a blood clot in an artery.
This is usually caused by peripheral vascular disease. Rarely, acute limb ischaemia can be caused by aortic dissection or an injury.
Diagnosing acute limb ischaemia
Your general practice team will examine your arm or leg and ask you questions about your health. If they think you have acute limb ischaemia, they'll arrange for you to go to hospital to see a vascular specialist (a surgical doctor who specialises in blood vessels).
In hospital, they may arrange tests like a CT scan, a doppler ultrasound or a duplex ultrasound.
Treating acute limb ischaemia
Acute limb ischaemia is usually treated by surgery. The surgery might be:
- angioplasty, where the surgeon inflates a tiny balloon in your artery causing it to widen, and possibly fits a stent (a small plastic or metal tube) to keep your artery open
- arterial bypass, where the surgeon redirects the blood flow around the blockage
- embolectomy, where the surgeon inserts a catheter into your blood vessel and removes the clot by suction.
Your doctor might prescribe medication to dissolve the clot.
Acute limb ischaemia is treatable, but the treatment shouldn't be delayed. Without prompt treatment, acute limb ischaemia can develop into critical limb ischaemia.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed August 2022.
Sources
The information in this section comes from the following sources, some of which may be clinically complex or not available to the general public
Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery – Intermittent claudication & peripheral vascular disease, retrieved December 2016.
HealthPathways Canterbury – Peripheral vascular disease, retrieved August 2017.
University of California San Francisco, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery – Critical limb ischemia, retrieved December 2016.
UpToDate – Overview of acute arterial occlusion of the extremities (acute limb ischemia), retrieved December 2016.
UpToDate – Management of claudication, retrieved July 2018.
Image and embedded video sources
Woman walking image from Shutterstock (image ID 770073079). July 2018.
Woman with leg pain image from Shutterstock (image ID 198050576). July 2018.
Page reference: 404542
Review key: HIBLV-403653