Early Outcomes From a Randomized, Controlled Trial of Supervised Exercise, Angioplasty, and Combined Therapy in Intermittent Claudication

A Call to Action: Women and Peripheral Artery Disease

“…Approximately 86% of randomized clinical trials of surgical or endovascular treatment for PAD report participant gender. 42,78,91,92,94, Among contemporary PAD revascularization studies that reported gender, women accounted for 32% of randomized trial participants (range 0% to 54%),* 37% of prospective * References 42, 91, 92, 94, 121-131, 133-140, 146, 147, 149 -161, 163-165, 168 -177, 179 -182, 184, 186 -188. …”

Systematic review of exercise training or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for intermittent claudication

“…Two trials compared PTA plus ET advice with ET advice alone 15,16,19,20 , four compared PTA with SET 13,18,22 -24 , two compared PTA plus SET with SET 21,24 and two compared PTA plus SET with PTA 24,25 ( Table 4). Table 5 summarizes the diverse exercise programmes varying from home-based exercise without supervision 15,16,19,20 to SET programmes 13,18,21 -25 .…”

“…Table 5 summarizes the diverse exercise programmes varying from home-based exercise without supervision 15,16,19,20 to SET programmes 13,18,21 -25 . The exercise programme included dynamic leg exercises 13 , exercise advice 15,16,19,20 , a walking circuit 21 , an exercise circuit 18,24 and treadmill training 22,23,25 . In four trials, the intervention covered both PTA with, or without selective stent placement 19 -23,25 ; the other trials referred to PTA alone.…”

“…Two trials did not report complications of PTA 18,24 , and one did not report complications at all 15,16 . One trial reported 'few' complications 19,20 and the other four trials three, four, six and seven complications respectively 13,21 -23,25 .…”

“…Two RCTs prescribed an antiplatelet drug alone 15,16,21 , and one trial acted in accordance with the management of PAD in primary care, which was not specified 18 . One RCT advised an antiplatelet drug and a statin 24 , one recommended an antiplatelet drug, a statin and treatment of hypertension on indication 19,20 , and another advised an antiplatelet drug, a statin and regular check-up by an internist of risk profile, diabetes, lipids and hypertension 22,23 . The same holds for the remaining RCT, which also included lifestyle advice given according to the Dutch guidelines for cardiovascular risk management, and advice on smoking cessation 25 .…”