People with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower limbs are at very high risk of cardiovascular events and therefore the cornerstone of their management is medical therapy and behaviour modification to reduce that risk. The risk of limb loss (through major amputation) is low in people with asymptomatic PAD or intermittent claudication with only a few patients progressing to the most severe form of PAD: chronic limb threatening ischaemia. Supervised exercise therapy is effective in patients with intermittent claudication to improve their walking capacity and avoids the risks associated with revascularisation procedures to improve blood flow to the limb.

Kaynak: The Lancet