AbstractOver a 10‐year period, 116 arterial operations in the upper extremity were performed. Sixteen patients had suffered from trauma, 52 from gross embolism, and 48 from chronic ischemia. The groups differ in age, duration of symptoms, and localization of the lesion. In patients with chronic ischemia, the most common lesion was a left‐sided subclavian stenosis, with microembolization to the fingers as the most prevalent symptom. Several types of reconstructions were used with satisfactory results. One patient in each group underwent amputation. The mortality rate in the group of patients with gross embolization was high, both postoperatively and during follow‐up.