Table 1.
Rutherford’s24 recommended scale for gauging changes in clinical status
| +3 | Markedly improved: no ischaemic symptoms and any foot lesions completely healed; ABI essentially ‘normalised’ (increased to >0.90) |
| +2 | Moderately improved: no open foot lesions; still symptomatic but only with exercise and improved by at least one clinical chronic ischaemia category; ABI not normalised but increased by >0.10 |
| +1 | Minimally improved: >0.10 increase in ABI* but no categorical improvement or vice versa (ie, upward categorical shift without an increase in ABI of >0.10) |
| 0 | No change: no categorical shift and <0.10 change in ABI |
| −1 | Mildly worse: no categorical shift but ABI decreased >0.10 or downward categorical shift with ABI decrease <0.10 |
| −2 | Moderately worse: one category worse or unexpected minor amputation |
| −3 | Markedly worse: more than one category worse or unexpected major amputations |
*In cases where the ABI cannot be accurately measured, an index based on the toe pressure, or any measurable pressure distal to the site of revascularisation, may be substituted.
ABI, Ankle Brachial Index.
Adapted from Rutherford RB et al. JVS 1997.