The hypothesis that older patients undergoing femoral-infrapopliteal bypass have a similar outcome as a matched younger group of patients undergoing the same operation was tested. Seventy-six femoral-infrapopliteal autogenous saphenous vein bypasses for critical limb ischemia were performed from 1985 to 1990. By using the life-table method, the primary and secondary patency, limb salvage and survival rates are analyzed and compared for older and younger age groups. Forty cases (53%) were performed in an elderly group, defined as age 70 or older. At 4 years, there was no significant difference between age groups in limb salvage and patency rates. However, operative mortality for the older age group was 12%, compared with 0% in the younger group (P = 0.0004). Thus, femoral-infrapopliteal autogenous vein bypass can be performed with comparable limb salvage and patency rates for an older age group, but the risk of operative mortality appears to be increased with age.