ACC/AHA 2005 Practice Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease (Lower Extremity, Renal, Mesenteric, and Abdominal Aortic): Executive Summary: A Collaborative Report From the American Association for Vascular Surgery/Society for Vascular Surgery,* Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology, Society of Interventional Radiology, and the ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Develop Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease): Endorsed by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Society for Vascular Nursing; TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus; and Vascular Disease Foundation

Current modalities for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Implications for nurses

BACKGROUND

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) represent a significant health problem in the United States as more than 1 million people are afflicted and the prevalence is only expected to increase. Given that AAA rupture carries a high mortality rate, there is interest in repairing the aneurysm electively before aneurysm rupture. Two approaches to aneurysm repair are open repair and endovascular repair. However, limited data comparing the outcomes of these different methods exist.

OBJECTIVE

A systematic review of recent clinical trials was conducted to identify and compare the short- and long-term clinical outcomes between open and endovascular repair.

METHODS

Prospective, controlled trials published in the last 5 years were acquired using PubMed, Ovid, and Scopus databases.

RESULTS

Four studies were identified during the search. Study trends suggest a perioperative advantage using endovascular repair. However, this advantage does not appear to be maintained in the long term.

CONCLUSIONS

Each type of repair carries its own risk profile that is likely influenced by additional factors, such as the patient's age and comorbidities. It is critical that healthcare providers are aware of the risks associated with each approach in order to provide optimal patient care.

Office management of peripheral arterial disease

Patients with peripheral arterial disease are at increased risk for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and mortality from coronary artery disease. Smoking should be stopped, and hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia should be treated. Statins reduce the incidence of intermittent claudication and increase exercise duration until the onset of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial disease and hypercholesterolemia. Antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin or clopidogrel, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and statins, should be given to all patients with peripheral arterial disease. Beta-blockers should be given if coronary artery disease is present. Exercise rehabilitation programs and cilostazol improve exercise time until the onset of intermittent claudication. Indications for lower-extremity angioplasty, preferably with stenting, or bypass surgery are incapacitating claudication interfering with work or lifestyle in patients; limb salvage in patients with limb-threatening ischemia as manifested by rest pain, nonhealing ulcers, infection, or gangrene; and vasculogenic impotence.

Impact of combination medical therapy on mortality in vascular surgery patients

BACKGROUND

Th use of beta-blockers or statins has been associated with decreased mortality after noncardiac surgery. There are no prior perioperative studies of concurrent use of other cardioprotective drugs.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain whether combinations of aspirin, beta-blockers, statins, and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were associated with decreased mortality 6 months after vascular surgery.

PATIENTS AND DESIGN

We performed a retrospective cohort study on the 3020 patients who underwent vascular surgery between January 1998 and March 2005 at 5 regional Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to assess associations with 6-month all-cause mortality for the combination drug exposures compared to no exposure while adjusting for propensity score.

RESULTS

Exposure to all 4 of the study drugs compared to none had a propensity-adjusted relative risk (aRR) of 0.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-1.01; P = 0.052), number needed to treat (NNT) 19; 3 drugs vs. none, aRR 0.60 (95% CI, 0.38-0.95; P = 0.030), NNT 38; 2 drugs vs. none, aRR 0.68 (95% CI, 0.46-0.99; P = 0.043), NNT 170; and 1 drug vs. none, aRR 0.88 (95% CI, 0.63-1.22; P = 0.445). ACE inhibitor exposure was common in all combinations.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination use of 2 to 3 study drugs, some of which included ACE inhibitors, was associated with decreased mortality after vascular surgery. Combination use of all 4 study drugs was not statistically significant due to the small number of events in this group. Further prospective studies of combination perioperative aspirin, beta-blockers, statins, and ACE inhibitors are warranted.

Critical limb ischemia

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) continues to be a significantly morbid disease process for the aging population. Rigid guidelines for the management of patients with CLI are inappropriate due to the complexities that are involved in optimally treating these patients. A thin line exists in the decision process between medical management vs surgical management by revascularization or amputation, and the perception of "success" in this patient population is evolving. This review explores these issues and examines the challenges the treating physician will face when managing the care of patients with CLI. The epidemiology and natural history of CLI is discussed, along with the pathophysiology of the disease process. A review of the literature in regards to the different treatment modalities is presented to help the physician optimize therapy for patients with CLI. New scoring systems to help predict outcomes in patients with CLI undergoing revascularization or amputation are discussed, and an overview of the current status of patient-oriented outcomes is provided. Finally, we briefly examine emerging therapies for the treatment of CLI and provide an algorithm to help guide the practicing physician on how to approach the critically ischemic limb with regard to the complicated issues surrounding these patients.

Peripheral arterial disease, chronic kidney disease, and mortality: the Chinese Ankle Brachial Index Cohort Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and examine the combined effect of CKD and PAD on all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The Chinese Ankle Brachial Index Cohort consisted of 3732 adults aged 35 years or older enrolled in 2004 and followed-up in 2007. Complete baseline data were compiled on 3610 people which were examined in the final analysis. Mortality surveillance was completed from December 2007 to February 2008. Survival analysis was used to compare the survival rate in different CKD/PAD groups. The relative risks (RR) of death from all-cause and CVD were compared using a Cox regression model. It was found that the prevalence of PAD in patients with and without CKD was 41.9% and 22.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). The survival rate for the CKD and PAD group was significantly lower than that for any single disease, for both all-cause and CVD mortality (log-rank: p < 0.001). In conclusion, CKD is a risk factor for PAD. The combined CKD and PAD patients had the highest risk for all-cause and CVD mortality. Early recognition of risk can be made by taking an ankle-brachial index measurement of PAD; a corresponding laboratory assessment should be used as a measurement of renal function for PAD patients.

Peripheral arterial disease in women

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is chronic arterial occlusive disease of the lower extremities caused by atherosclerosis whose prevalence increases with age. Only one-half of women with PAD are symptomatic. Symptomatic and asymptomatic women with PAD are at increased risk for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and mortality from coronary artery disease. Modifiable risk factors that predispose women to PAD include active cigarette smoking, passive smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, increased plasma homocysteine levels and hypothyroidism. With regard to management, women who smoke should be encouraged to quit and referred to a smoking cessation program. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypothyroidism require treatment. Statins reduce the incidence of intermittent claudication and improve exercise duration until the onset of intermittent claudication in women with PAD and hypercholesterolemia. Anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin or especially clopidogrel, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins should be given to all women with PAD. Beta blockers are recommended if coronary artery disease is present. Exercise rehabilitation programs and cilostazol increase exercise time until intermittent claudication develops. Chelation therapy should be avoided as it is ineffective. Indications for lower extremity percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or bypass surgery in women are (1) incapacitating claudication interfering with work or lifestyle; and (2) limb salvage in women with limb-threatening ischemia as manifested by rest pain, non-healing ulcers, and/or infection or gangrene. Future research includes investigation of mechanisms underlying why women have a higher risk of graft failure and major amputation.

Management of heart failure with renal artery ischemia

With improved treatment, patients are surviving longer with impaired ventricular function. Hypertension results in ventricular remodeling in many patients. More than 5 million people have heart failure and are likely to have one or more co-existent diseases associated with aging, one of which is chronic kidney disease (CKD). Renal artery stenosis is fraught with varying opinions. Nephrologists, cardiologists, and interventional radiologists all manage these diseases with different strategies. This article outlines renovascular disease as it relates to CKD, the pathophysiology of development of renovascular disease and effects leading to congestive heart failure, treatment modalities, and outcomes of treatment regimens.

Cardiovascular risk factors and signs of subclinical atherosclerosis in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study

INTRODUCTION

Modern investigation modalities allow markers of atherosclerosis to be detected at a subclinical stage. The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of these markers in relation to traditional risk factors.

METHODS

The population based study included 4814 participants, aged 45 to 75 years, with a response rate of 55.8% of those contacted. The patients' history, psychosocial and environmental risk factors were assessed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of obesity was 26.2% in men and 28.1% in women, 26% of men and 21% of women were smokers. Hypertension was found in 46% of men and 31% of women, diabetes in 9.3% of men and 6.3% of women. Markers of subclinical peripheral arterial disease were found in 6.4% of men and 5.1% of women, of subclinical carotid artery disease in 43.2% and 30.7%, and of subclinical coronary artery calcification in 82.3% and 55.2%, respectively. The prevalence of coronary calcification measured using an Agatston Score >100 was in 40% in men and 15% in women, using a score >400, 16.8% and 4.5%, respectively.

DISCUSSION

A high prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis was found in the older population. The follow-up period will demonstrate whether the detection of markers of subclinical atherosclerosis will improve risk stratification beyond that offered by traditional risk factors.

[Chronic critical ischemia of the legs. Definition and management]

The term "Chronic critical ischemia ", CCI, of lower limb defines a very advanced state of chronic LL arterial insufficiency with deleterious effect of low perfusion pressure rate. This diagnosis has serious consequences for the patient (high risk of major amputation, high risk of cardiovascular events and death, high risk of reduced quality of life for survivals even non-amputated). The diagnosis must be precise. We discuss the evolution of the concept and the definitions of CCI from Fontaine classification, the epidemiology of CCI and its risk factors, the diagnosis of CCI (clinical, haemodynamical, anatomical) and the treatment of CCI which the main goal is to increase as much as possible the arterial pressure in the foot.

Risk factors of peripheral arterial disease and relationship between low ankle - brachial index and mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk factors for peripheral arterial disease and the relationship between the ankle - brachial index (ABI) and mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODS AND RESULTS

ABI was identified at baseline by measuring systolic pressure in the bilateral brachial and tibial arteries. Mortality surveillance was completed from November 2004 to January 2006. Among 1,647 participants with type 2 DM at baseline, 531 (32.2%) were in the low-ABI group. Older age, female gender, higher serum level of total cholesterol, longer duration of DM and a history of smoking were associated with low ABI. During the 13-month follow-up, there were 132 deaths, of which 47 were from CVD. Low ABI was associated with mortality from all-cause and CVD, the adjusted relative risk of which was 1.851 (95% confidence interval 1.280-2.676) and 3.211 (1.703-6.053), respectively, in Cox regression models. The survival rate was significantly lower in the low-ABI group than in the normal-ABI group.

CONCLUSION

Low ABI was independently associated with a high risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in Chinese patients with type 2 DM. ABI should be promoted as an ideal tool for predicting mortality in diabetic patients.

Use of antiplatelet drugs in secondary prevention in older persons with atherothrombotic disease

Unless there are contraindications to the use of aspirin, aspirin should be used in treating patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and continued indefinitely to reduce vascular death, nonfatal MI, and nonfatal stroke. Clopidogrel added to aspirin has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of patients with acute ST-elevation MI. Patients with unstable angina or non-ST-elevation MI should be treated with aspirin plus clopidogrel for at least 9 months to reduce vascular death, nonfatal MI, and nonfatal stroke. Patients with prior MI should be treated indefinitely with aspirin and with clopidogrel if aspirin is contraindicated. Patients with ischemic stroke should be treated with either aspirin or clopidogrel indefinitely. Extended release dipyridamole plus low dose aspirin has been shown to be more efficacious than low dose aspirin in only one large study, and is associated with an insignificant increase in nonfatal MI and vascular death over low dose aspirin alone. Clopidogrel is significantly more effective than aspirin in reducing vascular death, nonfatal MI, and nonfatal stroke in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Pharmacotherapy Before and After Revascularization: Anticoagulation, Antiplatelet Agents, and Statins

Proper medical management may enhance perioperative and long-term outcomes for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). For patients with PAD, aspirin and statin drugs remain the mainstay of medical management, based on results from multiple randomized clinical trials that have demonstrated improvements in long-term survival and a decrease in cardiovascular events with these agents. There may additional, unintended positive consequences of treatment with statin drugs, including potential improvements in symptoms of claudication and enhanced graft patency after infrainguinal bypass. For patients undergoing surgical or endovascular revascularization, aspirin remains the standard of care for antithrombotic therapy. Beyond this, use of warfarin should be reserved for patients with high-risk surgical bypass grafts to prolong graft patency, because it carries a significant risk of bleeding complications. The utility of clopidogrel after surgical and endovascular infrainguinal revascularization remains undefined but warrants additional study. At this time the only clear indication for clopidogrel in patients with infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease is for PAD patients who are intolerant of aspirin or have a history of coronary artery stenting within the past 6 months. Proper adjunctive pharmacotherapy for the patient with PAD has the potential to improve symptoms, graft patency, and survival in this challenging subset of patients.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement on Screening for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Under the auspices of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently released an update to its 1996 Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Screening Recommendation Statement. The USPSTF recommended against PAD screening, giving the practice a “D” level recommendation. This level suggests that little or no benefit could accrue from PAD screening and that screening-associated harm could occur. The present commentary disputes the Task Force’s recommendation. The USPSTF statement omitted important peer-reviewed data on the prevalence, screening efficacy, and short-term adverse prognosis of patients with PAD and failed to consider the beneficial outcomes that probably would result from timely diagnosis and treatment of this important manifestation of atherosclerosis. The Task Force implied that screening may lead to unnecessary tests, including increased risk associated with use of contrast angiographic studies. However, most patients with PAD have neither classic symptoms of leg claudication nor threatened limbs but have an extraordinarily high rate of adverse cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and death—events that should serve as a key rationale for screening. Medical therapy, including risk factor modification and antiplatelet medications, is known to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates in these patients. The Task Force’s recommendation against PAD detection may itself adversely result in inadequate recognition and treatment of PAD, with adverse public health consequences. We encourage the USPSTF to reevaluate the extant data, add vascular specialty expertise to its review group, and reconsider its recommendation.