Post-Procedure Immune Activation Mirrors the Degree of Vascular Disruption in Minimally Invasive Limb Interventions

Abstract

This study aimed to explore whether changes in circulating inflammatory markers specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen after a vascular intervention reflect the extent of arterial tissue disruption resulting from the procedure. A total of 71 individuals undergoing minimally invasive arterial therapy were enrolled, while 84 patients receiving diagnostic imaging served as the control group. Inflammatory markers were assessed at baseline, and again at 8, 24, and 48 hours post-intervention. For all treated individuals, details such as lesion complexity, length of the treated vascular segment, balloon dilation duration, and length of the implanted support device were recorded. A significant elevation in CRP and fibrinogen concentrations was observed 48 hours after the intervention (p<0.001). No substantial variation in inflammatory marker levels was found among different anatomical complexity classifications. However, CRP concentrations were notably higher in the subgroup receiving implanted support devices compared to those treated solely with balloon dilation. Correlation analysis revealed that increases in CRP between 8 and 24 hours post-procedure were positively associated with the length of the treated segment (r=0.313, p=0.02) and the duration of balloon inflation (r=0.270, p=0.03). Additionally, early CRP elevation (at 8 hours) was strongly linked to the length of the stented segment (r=0.535, p=0.01). These findings suggest that the degree of vascular injury from this procedure is mirrored by measurable increases in systemic inflammatory response markers.