Assessing the Feasibility of Including Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease in to an Established Cardiac Rehabilitation Service.

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive disease that occurs as the result of atherosclerotic plaque formation in the major arteries of the leg (Mays, Casserly and Regesteiner, 2013). The main presenting symptom of PAD is intermittent claudication (IC) - exertional pain or discomfort in the ...

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a progressive disease that occurs as the result of atherosclerotic plaque formation in the major arteries of the leg (Mays, Casserly and Regesteiner, 2013). The main presenting symptom of PAD is intermittent claudication (IC) - exertional pain or discomfort in the calf, thigh or buttock that is relieved with rest. The presence of PAD is a very powerful marker of cardiovascular risk and preventable cardiovascular deaths. Following the initial diagnosis of PAD, for those patients without coronary artery disease the risk of systemic morbidity or mortality in the next 5 years is 50% (AACVPR, 2013). In 2012, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued guidelines stating that supervised exercise programmes (SEPs) should be offered as first-line treatment for people diagnosed PAD. However, there is a national shortage of dedicated SEPs for PAD patients that UK vascular specialists can refer patients to. There has been suggestion that an already established network of Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) departments within the United Kingdom (UK) could cater for this group of patients, as they already have facilities and staff in place. To date, there has been no investigation into whether this would be successful. This research project would investigate if CR programmes could get the same outcomes for PAD patients as a stand-alone PAD rehabilitation programme. The study would investigate the possible positive and negative impact on both the PAD and CR patient groups in attending a combined rehabilitation programme of exercise and education. It will also look at the perceptions of the participants regarding the treatment programme itself.

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