Diane Treat-Jacobson

Measurement and Interpretation of the Ankle-Brachial Index A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Measurement and interpretation of the ankle-brachial index : a scientific statement from the Ammerican Heart Association

2016 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Patients With Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

Jonathan L. Halperin, MD, FACC, FAHA, Chair Glenn N. Levine, MD, FACC, FAHA, Chair-Elect Sana M. Al-Khatib, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA Kim K. Birtcher, PharmD, MS, AACC Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, FACC, FAHA Ralph G. Brindis, MD, MPH, MACC Joaquin E. Cigarroa, MD, FACC Lesley H. Curtis, PhD, FAHA

Supervised Exercise Versus Primary Stenting for Claudication Resulting From Aortoiliac Peripheral Artery Disease Six-Month Outcomes From the Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) Study

Background— Claudication is a common and disabling symptom of peripheral artery disease that can be treated with medication, supervised exercise (SE), or stent revascularization (ST). Methods and Results— We randomly assigned 111 patients with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease to receive 1 of 3 treatments: optimal medical care (OMC), OMC plus SE, or OMC plus ST. The primary end point was the change in peak walking time on a graded treadmill test at 6 months compared with baseline. Secondary end points included free-living step activity, quality of life with the Walking Impairment Questionnaire, Peripheral Artery Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form, and cardiovascular risk factors. At the 6-month follow-up, change in peak walking time (the primary end point) was greatest for SE, intermediate for ST, and least with OMC (mean change versus baseline, 5.8±4.6, 3.7±4.9, and 1.2±2.6 minutes, respectively; P <0.001 for the comparison of SE versus OMC, P =0.02 for ST versus OMC, and P =0.04 for SE versus ST). Although disease-specific quality of life as assessed by the Walking Impairment Questionnaire and Peripheral Artery Questionnaire also improved with both SE and ST compared with OMC, for most scales, the extent of improvement was greater with ST than SE. Free-living step activity increased more with ST than with either SE or OMC alone (114±274 versus 73±139 versus −6±109 steps per hour), but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions— SE results in superior treadmill walking performance than ST, even for those with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease. The contrast between better walking performance for SE and better patient-reported quality of life for ST warrants further study. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: . Unique identifier: [NCT00132743][1]. # Clinical Perspective {#article-title-36} [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT00132743&atom=%2Fcirculationaha%2F125%2F1%2F130.atomBackground Claudication is a common and disabling symptom of peripheral artery disease that can be treated with medication, supervised exercise or stent revascularization.Background— Claudication is a common and disabling symptom of peripheral artery disease that can be treated with medication, supervised exercise (SE), or stent revascularization (ST). Methods and Results— We randomly assigned 111 patients with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease to receive 1 of 3 treatments: optimal medical care (OMC), OMC plus SE, or OMC plus ST. The primary end point was the change in peak walking time on a graded treadmill test at 6 months compared with baseline. Secondary end points included free-living step activity, quality of life with the Walking Impairment Questionnaire, Peripheral Artery Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form, and cardiovascular risk factors. At the 6-month follow-up, change in peak walking time (the primary end point) was greatest for SE, intermediate for ST, and least with OMC (mean change versus baseline, 5.8±4.6, 3.7±4.9, and 1.2±2.6 minutes, respectively; P<0.001 for the comparison of SE versus OMC, P=0.02 for ST versus OMC, and P=0.04 for SE versus ST). Although disease-specific quality of life as assessed by the Walking Impairment Questionnaire and Peripheral Artery Questionnaire also improved with both SE and ST compared with OMC, for most scales, the extent of improvement was greater with ST than SE. Free-living step activity increased more with ST than with either SE or OMC alone (114±274 versus 73±139 versus −6±109 steps per hour), but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions— SE results in superior treadmill walking performance than ST, even for those with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease. The contrast between better walking performance for SE and better patient-reported quality of life for ST warrants further study. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00132743?order=1. Unique identifier: NCT00132743.

Cardiovascular Health: The Importance of Measuring Patient-Reported Health Status A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

The principal goals of health care are to help people “live longer and live better,” that is, to optimize both survival and health. In the American Heart Association’s (AHA) special report, “Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association’s strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond,” the AHA set the following goal: > “By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%.” 1 The emphasis on improving cardiovascular health is laudable, yet it raises the question of how cardiovascular health is best measured. Indeed, the metrics of cardiovascular health have not been well delineated compared with other cardiovascular mortality and morbidity outcomes. The AHA’s strategic goals primarily focus on ideal health behaviors (eg, not smoking) and ideal health factors (eg, blood pressure control) as metrics of cardiovascular health.1 Although these are of clear import, they do not directly address the World Health Organization’s definition of health as “… a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.”2 Moreover, the Institute of Medicine identified patient-centered care as 1 of the 6 domains of high-quality health care, wherein patient-centered care supports clinicians in “attending to their patients’ physical and emotional needs, and maintaining or improving their quality of life.”3 The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute emphasizes the goal of “focusing on outcomes that people notice and care about such as survival, function, symptoms, and health related quality of life.”4 Recent concepts of value in health care and the “triple aim” center on improving patients’ health and experience with health care while reducing costs; each reinforces the importance of assessing the impact of disease and medical treatment on patients’ functional status and quality of life.5,6 The definition …

The impact of peripheral arterial disease on health-related quality of life in the Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness, Risk, and Treatment: New Resources for Survival (PARTNERS) Program

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that patients with PAD have impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) to a degree similar to that of patients with other types of cardiovascular disease (other-CVD), and also evaluated the clinical features of PAD associated with impaired HRQoL. This was a cross-sectional study in 350 primary care practice sites nationwide with 6,499 participants. The reference group had no clinical or hemodynamic evidence of PAD or other-CVD; the PAD group had an ankle-brachial index < 0.90 or a prior history of PAD; the other-CVD group had a clinical history of cardiac or cerebral vascular disease (but no PAD), and the combined PAD-other-CVD group included both diagnoses. Individuals were assessed using four HRQoL questionnaires including the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ), Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 (SF-36), Cantril Ladder of Life and the PAD Quality of Life questionnaire. PAD patients had lower WIQ distance scores than the other-CVD group. Both the PAD and other-CVD groups had significantly lower SF-36 Physical Function scores compared with the reference group. The WIQ revealed that PAD patients were more limited by calf pain, whereas other-CVD patients were more limited by chest pain, shortness of breath and palpitations. In conclusion, in this nationwide study, one of the first to directly compare the HRQoL burden of CVD with that of PAD, the evaluation of PAD in office practice revealed a HRQoL burden as great in magnitude as in patients with other forms of CVD.

Gaps in Public Knowledge of Peripheral Arterial Disease The First National PAD Public Awareness Survey

Background— Lower-extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with decreased functional status, diminished quality of life, amputation, myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. Nevertheless, public knowledge of PAD as a morbid and mortal disease has not been previously assessed. Methods and Results— We performed a cross-sectional, population-based telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 2501 adults ≥50 years of age, with oversampling of blacks and Hispanics. The survey instrument measured the demographic, risk factor, and cardiovascular disease characteristics of the study population; prevalent leg symptoms; PAD awareness relative to atherosclerosis risk factors and other cardiovascular and noncardiovascular diseases; perceived causes of PAD; and perceived systemic and limb consequences of PAD. Respondents were 67.2±12.6 years of age with a high prevalence of risk factors but only a modest burden of known coronary or cerebrovascular disease. Twenty-six percent of respondents expressed familiarity with PAD, a rate significantly lower than that for any other cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis risk factor. Within the “PAD-aware” cohort, knowledge was poor. Half of these individuals were not aware that diabetes and smoking increase the risk for PAD; 1 in 4 knew that PAD is associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke; and only 14% were aware that PAD could lead to amputation. All knowledge domains were lower in individuals with lower income and education levels. Conclusions— The public is poorly informed about PAD, with major knowledge gaps regarding the definition of PAD, risk factors that lead to PAD, and associated limb symptoms and amputation risk. The public is not aware that PAD imposes a high short-term risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. For the national cardiovascular disease burden to be reduced, public PAD knowledge could be improved by national PAD public education programs designed to reduce critical knowledge gaps.

Utility and barriers to performance of the ankle-brachial index in primary care practice

Peripheral arterial disease is prevalent, associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and is underdiagnosed. Nevertheless, systematic efforts to provide early office-based peripheral arterial disease detection are not routinely implemented in office practice. The PARTNERS Program implemented the ankle brachial index (ABI) measurement in primary care outpatient clinics in order to model practical dissemination of this technique and thus improve office-based peripheral arterial disease detection. The objective of this study was to identify clinician-defined factors that were perceived to foster acceptance of, or create barriers to, the use of the ABI in office practice. The ABI Utilization Survey was administered to primary care clinicians who participated in the PARTNERS Program, as well as to additional primary care clinicians who participated in the PARTNERS Preceptorship. The survey assessed six parameters: pre- and post-participation office ABI utilization; perceived clinical utility of the ABI; perceived value of the ABI data relative to other commonly used office disease detection methods; feasibility of implementing office-based ABI testing; definition of factors limiting utilization of the ABI in office practice; and the role of office staff in performing the ABI test. Survey data were obtained from 886 respondents. A total of 68% of respondents did not measure the ABI prior to participation in the PARTNERS Program. After Program participation, the frequency of office ABI use increased from 12% to 43% weekly and 13% to 39% monthly. The few participants who reported using the ABI only once a year (annually) did not significantly change after the program. Most clinicians believed that the ABI was useful in the diagnosis and management of both symptomatic (96%) and asymptomatic (89%) peripheral arterial disease. Moderate to major barriers to use of the ABI included time constraints (56%), lack of reimbursement (45%), and staff availability (45%). Nearly all (88%) clinicians believed that it was feasible to incorporate ABI into daily practice. Overall, most clinicians (57 75%) believed that ABI was equal to, or more useful, than other widely available and reimbursed screening tests in preserving their patients’ health. In conclusion, the ABI was perceived by primary care clinicians to be a clinically useful diagnostic test. Limited reimbursement and time were identified as the primary barriers to its widespread use. Once learned, most clinicians stated that the ABI would continue to be frequently used in their office practice. The ABI is a simple peripheral arterial disease detection tool that can be successfully applied in primary care office practices.

The Role of Tobacco Cessation, Antiplatelet and Lipid-Lowering Therapies in the Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Despite the widely held belief that there are no effective medical therapies for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), current data suggest that medical therapies can effectively modify the natural history of atherosclerotic lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. The ideal medical therapy would improve claudication, forestall the onset of limb-threatening events, decrease rates of invasive interventional therapies and improve long-term patient survival. These ideal outcomes might be achieved through the use of smoking cessation interventions, including behavioral and pharmacological therapy, and the administration of antiplatelet and lipid-lowering medications in patients with PAD.

Comparison of Preoperative Characteristics of Men and Women Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (The Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft [CABG] Biobehavioral Study)

A cohort of 759 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients (269 women and 490 men) was enrolled in the prospective POST CABG Biobehavioral Study at 5 clinical centers in the United States and Canada. Sociodemographic and medical data were obtained by interview and from medical charts. Health-related quality of life and psychosocial data were ascertained preoperatively by interview and questionnaire for those patients whose condition allowed preoperative assessment and was compared among patients from hospitals enrolling both male and female patients (143 women and 267 men). Women enrolled in the Biobehavioral Study were older than men (65.4 +/- 9.0 vs 61.8 +/- 9.7 years, p < 0.001) and more likely to have a preoperative medical condition which precluded biobehavioral evaluation (47% vs 34%, p < 0.001). Women were less likely to be high school graduates (59% vs 74%, p < 0.001), were less likely to be earning > or =

Poststroke depression and functional outcome: A critical review of literature

25,000 per year (39% vs 69%, p < 0.001), and were married less often at the time of surgery (59% vs 85%, p < 0.001). Fewer women than men were able to perform basic self-care activities (p < 0.001) and social activities (p < 0.001). Women were also less able to perform the more demanding activities required for independent living, recreation, and maintaining a household (p < 0.001). Women were also more anxious (p = 0.01) and reported more depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) than men. These data suggest that plans for perioperative and convalescent care for women undergoing CABG should take into account their less favorable medical and psychosocial status relative to men.