Methods	Regional anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia
Participants	423 patients undergoing elective peripheral vascular surgery (femoral or distal)
Interventions	Spinal anaesthesia (n = 107): 16 to 20 mg of hyperbaric 1% tetracaine with 3 to 5 mg of phenylephrine at L3‐L4 or L4‐L5 Epidural anaesthesia (n = 96): at L2‐3 or L3‐4; 2% lidocaine followed by 0.5% bupivacaine to maintain a sensory level between T8 and T10. Epidural morphine was administered for the first 12 to 24 hours in 40% of participants General anaesthesia (n = 112): thiopental 2 to 4 mg/kg, fentanyl, succinylcholine, nitrous oxide, isoflurane or enflurane and vecuronium
Outcomes	Mortality: death occurring during the participant's hospitalization Myocardial infarction: ECG after surgery and daily for four days; CK every eight hours for 24 hours, then daily for three days; defined as new Q‐waves > 0.03 seconds with ↑ ST ≥ 1 mm in ≥ two leads or new ↓ ST ≥ 1 mm in ≥ two leads with ↑ CPK with > 5% MB fraction 68% (13/19) were silent, all occurred within four days. The study authors mention in the discussion that the rate of myocardial infarction might have been overestimated in light of the underlying pathology (CK‐MB elevation) Mortality was defined as cardiac death occurring during postoperative hospitalization
Notes	Unfractionated heparin 5000 units every 12 hours until ambulation and oral aspirin 81 mg daily until discharge thereafter. Presence/absence of complications from the anaesthetic technique are not mentioned