Impact of Cilostazol Administration on Prevention of Aspiration Pneumonia in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia

Background: Cilostazol has reported effectiveness for preventing aspiration pneumonia in patients with ischemic stroke, but whether it is similarly beneficial for patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is unclear.

Methods and results: This retrospective single-center study enrolled 1,368 CLTI patients treated with endovascular therapy (EVT). In the multivariate analysis, predictors for aspiration pneumonia were age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.10]), non-ambulatory status (HR 2.54 [95% CI 1.38-4.65]), the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (HR 0.97 [95% CI 0.95-0.99]), and cilostazol (HR 0.37 [95% CI 0.16-0.87]).

Conclusions: Cilostazol administration reduced the risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients with CLTI undergoing EVT.