Bilateral ankle skin temperature as a predictor of early vascular graft patency

The efficacy of postoperative bilateral ankle skin temperature as a predictor of early graft patency was prospectively evaluated in 138 consecutive cases of femoropopliteal bypass surgery. The difference between ipsilateral and contralateral ankle temperature (hourly registrations) was significantly greater in the patients with patent graft on postoperative day 1 than in those with an occluded graft. In measurements 8 h postoperatively, highest sensitivity (84 per cent) and specificity (93 per cent) of the test were obtained when the difference was + 0·4°C. The overall accuracy of prediction with this simple method was 89 per cent.