Project description:BackgroundEndovascular stents have been suggested as a means to improve the patency of arteries after angioplasty in patients with intermittent claudication. This is an update of a Cochrane review published in 2002.ObjectivesThe null hypothesis to be tested by this review is that for individuals with claudication the use of an endovascular stent, in addition to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, does not improve symptoms of life-style limiting claudication when compared to percutaneous angioplasty alone.Search strategyFor this update the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group searched their Specialised Register (last searched August 2009) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library (last searched 2009, Issue 3).Selection criteriaRandomised trials comparing angioplasty alone versus angioplasty with endovascular stents in patients with intermittent claudication.Data collection and analysisTwo authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted the data. Only published trial data were used but unpublished data were sought for the update. Effectiveness was measured by the pre-defined primary outcome measures restenosis or reocclusion rates and maximum walking distance.Main resultsTwo studies were included involving a total of 104 participants. Both studies included only individuals with femoro-popliteal disease. They compared angioplasty and stenting with the Palmaz stent against angioplasty alone. Although one study showed a slight statistical advantage in arterial patency after angioplasty alone, this was not found when the two studies were combined. No differences in the secondary outcomes were detected in either study.Authors' conclusionsThe small number of relevant studies identified together with the small sample sizes and methodological weaknesses severely limit the usefulness of this review in guiding practice. The results from larger multicentre trials are needed.
Project description:Little is known about the familial aggregation of intermittent claudication (IC). Our objective was to examine whether parental IC increased the risk of IC in adult offspring, independent of the established cardiovascular risk factors. We evaluated the Offspring Cohort Participants of the Framingham Heart Study who were ?30 years old, cardiovascular disease free, and had both parents enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study (n = 2,970 unique participants, 53% women). Pooled proportional hazards regression analysis was used to examine whether the 12-year risk of incident IC in offspring participants was associated with parental IC, adjusting for age, gender, diabetes, smoking, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and antihypertensive and lipid treatment. Of the 909 person-examinations in the parental IC history group and 5,397 person-examinations in the no-parental IC history group, there were 101 incident IC events (29 with parental IC history and 72 without a parental IC history) during follow-up. The age- and gender-adjusted 12-year cumulative incidence rate per 1,000 person-years was 5.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.74 to 7.33) and 2.34 (95% CI 1.46 to 3.19) in participants with and without a parental IC history. A parental history of IC significantly increased the risk of incident IC in the offspring (multivariable adjusted hazard ratio 1.81, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.88). The hazard ratio was unchanged, with an adjustment for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio 1.83, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.91). In conclusion, IC in parents increases the risk of IC in adult offspring, independent of the established risk factors. These data suggest a genetic component of peripheral artery disease and support future research into genetic causes.
Project description:BackgroundThe screening and diagnosis of intermittent claudication is a challenging process and often relies on the expertise of specialist vascular clinicians. We sought to investigate the diagnostic performance of the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ) as a screening tool for referrals of suspected intermittent claudication from primary to secondary care.MethodProspectively, 100 referrals from primary care with a stated diagnosis or query regarding intermittent claudication were recruited. All participants who completed the ECQ, underwent an anklebrachial pressure index (ABPI) assessment and treadmill exercise testing. Outcomes of the ECQ were compared to clinical diagnoses of intermittent claudication.ResultsThe ECQ had a sensitivity of 46.8% (95% CI: 27-65%), specificity of 63.2% (95% CI: 43-82%) and accuracy of 53.0% (95% CI: 43-63%). The diagnostic performance was not changed by combining the ECQ with a positive ABPI or post-exercise ABPI outcome for PAD.ConclusionThe ECQ had a poor diagnostic performance in this cohort. Considering the results found here and in other recent studies, the utility of the ECQ as a screening tool and epidemiological survey tool must be questioned. Novel, low-resource diagnostic tools are needed in this population.
Project description:Objective:Intermittent claudication (IC) is a pathological symptom with a particular effect on human gait patterns. Therefore, analyzing these patterns can facilitate rehabilitation or treatment through comparison of the values of kinematic and kinetic variables of patients with the normal values of healthy people. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find differences in the values of gait variables between patients with IC and healthy people. Methods:The study included 98 patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease with IC. The patients traveled a distance of 6 m at a voluntary gait velocity. Ground reaction forces while the foot contacted the ground and kinematic variables of lower limb movements were recorded. The values of normal gait variables were computed based on the results obtained in a group of 30 healthy people. Results:Patients used a gait velocity below the norm for healthy people. The velocity during the lower limb swing and the step and stride length in patients with IC were below the norm. Differences were also found in the ranges of motion between patients with IC and healthy people for the pelvic obliquity, pelvic rotation, hip flexion-extension, hip abduction-adduction, hip internal-external rotation, knee flexion-extension, ankle dorsi-plantar flexion, and foot progression angles. Conclusions:The presented kinematic and kinetic characteristics measured by gait variables suggest differences between patients with IC and healthy people. Considering kinematic and kinetic gait variables during the rehabilitation process would facilitate the development of a more economic gait technique (with increased stride length and range of motion in the lower limb joints) to obtain the desired rehabilitation effects. Patients with IC should receive rehabilitation oriented towards improving mobility and increasing muscle strength in selected lower limb joints to increase gait velocity and stride length.
Project description:BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the functional effects and acceptability of rocker-soled shoes that were designed to relatively "unload" the calf muscles during walking in people with calf claudication due to peripheral arterial disease.MethodsIn this randomised AB/BA crossover trial, participants completed two assessment visits up to two weeks apart. At each visit, participants completed walking tests whilst wearing the unloading shoes or visually-similar control shoes. At the end of the second visit, participants were given either the unloading or control shoes to use in their home environment for 2 weeks, with the instruction to wear them for at least 4 h every day. The primary outcome was 6-min walk distance. We also assessed pain-free walking distance and gait biomechanical variables during usual-pace walking, adverse events, and participants' opinions about the shoes. Data for continuous outcomes are presented as mean difference between conditions with corresponding 95% confidence interval.ResultsThirty-four participants (27 males, mean age 68 years, mean ankle-brachial index 0.54) completed both assessment visits. On average, the 6-min walk distance was 11 m greater when participants wore the control shoes (95% CI -5 to 26), whereas mean pain-free walking distance was 7 m greater in the unloading shoes (95% CI -17 to 32). Neither of these differences were statistically significant (p = 0.18 and p = 0.55, respectively). This was despite the unloading shoes reducing peak ankle plantarflexion moment (mean difference 0.2 Nm/kg, 95% CI 0.0 to 0.3) and peak ankle power generation (mean difference 0.6 W/kg, 95% CI 0.2 to 1.0) during pain-free walking. The survey and interview data was mixed, with no clear differences between the unloading and control shoes.ConclusionsShoes with modified soles to relatively unload the calf muscles during walking conferred no substantial acute functional benefit over control shoes.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, Trial Registration Number: NCT02505503 , First registered 22 July 2015.
Project description:The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lower extremity intermittent negative pressure (INP) treatment for 1 hour twice daily for 12 weeks, on circulating vascular biomarkers in patients with intermittent claudication. Patients were randomized to treatment with -40 mmHg INP (treatment group), or -10 mmHg INP (sham control group). Venous blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks, and concentrations of vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), E-selectin, P-selectin, von Willebrand factor (vWF), l-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) were analyzed. A larger proportion of the patients in the treatment group (25/31) had a reduction in vWF levels after 12 weeks, compared to the sham control group (17/30) (p = 0.043). Within the treatment group there was a significant mean (SEM) reduction in the concentration of vWF of -11% (4) (p = 0.019), whereas there was no significant change in the levels of vWF in the sham control group (1% (6); p = 0.85). There were no significant differences in the change of any of the biomarker levels between the groups after 12 weeks of treatment. In conclusion, there were no differences in the change of the circulating levels of the measured biomarkers between the treatment group and the sham control group after 12 weeks of INP treatment. However, the observed changes in vWF might indicate a beneficial effect of INP treatment on endothelial activation and endothelial injury. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03640676.