A 72-year-old woman with a 3-day history of acute left lower limb pain, coldness, and numbness presents to the emergency department. She has a history of diabetes, hypertension, and peripheral arterial disease. On examination, the left foot is pale and mottled with loss of sensation up to the mid-calf. There is no motor weakness. Doppler ultrasound shows acute thrombosis of the left superficial femoral artery. After immediate heparinization, the vascular surgeon discusses two options: surgical thrombectomy versus catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT). Which factor would make CDT the preferred choice over surgery in this case?