The severity of muscle ischemia during intermittent claudication

AbstractPurpose: The degree of ischemia during intermittent claudication is difficult to quantify. We evaluated calf muscle ischemia during exercise in patients with claudication with near infrared spectroscopy. Methods: A Critikon Cerebral Redox Model 2001 (Johnson & Johnson Medical, Newport, Gwent, United Kingdom) was used to measure calf muscle deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb), oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb), and total hemoglobin levels and oxygenation index (HbD; HbD = O2Hb − HHb) in 16 patients with claudication and in 14 control subjects before, during, and after walking on a treadmill for 1 minute (submaximal exercise). These measures were repeated after a second maximal exercise in patients with claudication and after 7 minutes walking in control subjects. Near-infrared spectroscopy readings during maximal exercise were then compared with a model of total ischemia induced with tourniquet in 16 young control subjects. Results: Total hemoglobin level changed little during exercise in both patients with claudication and control subjects. HHb levels rose, and O2Hb level and HbD falls were more pronounced in patients with claudication than in control subjects after submaximal and maximal exercise. During maximal exercise, HbD fell markedly by a median (interquartile range) of 210.5 μmol/cm (108.2 to 337.0 μmol/cm) in patients with claudication compared with 66.0 μmol/cm (44.0 to 101.0 μmol/cm) in elderly control subjects and 41.0 μmol/cm (36.0 to 65.0 μmol/cm) in young control subjects (P < .001). This fall also was greater than the HbD fall induced with tourniquet ischemia at 90.8 μmol/cm (57.6 to 126.2 μmol/cm; P = .006). Conclusion: Hemoglobin desaturation in exercising calf muscle is profound in patients with claudication, considerably greater even than that induced with three minutes of tourniquet occlusion. Further studies are necessary to investigate the relationship between the inflammatory response and near-infrared spectroscopy during exercise in patients with claudication. (J Vasc Surg 2002;89-93.

The Effects of Exercise Prescribed at Different Levels of Claudication Pain on Walking Performance in Patients with Intermittent Claudication: A Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial

Peripheral artery disease affects over 236 million people globally and the classic symptom is intermittent claudication (IC) which is associated with reduction in physical activity. The evidence that supervised exercise programmes (SEPs) improve pain-free and maximal walking distance is irrefutable. However, adherence rates are low with exercise-related pain cited as a contributing factor. National and international guidelines recommend exercising at a moderate to maximal level of claudication pain to improve walking ability; however, exercising pain-free or at mild claudication pain has been shown to achieve this outcome. There is limited evidence that compares the relative effects of exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication pain. The objective of this study is to directly compare the effects of exercise prescribed at three different levels of claudication pain on walking performance. This study will be a single-centre randomised controlled trial. Based on an power calculation, 51 patients with IC will be allocated to 24 weeks of twice-weekly pain-free (PF), moderate pain (MOD-P) or maximal pain (MAX-P) exercise. The PF group will cease exercise at the onset of claudication (1 on the 0-4 IC rating scale), the MOD-P group will stop once moderate pain is reached (2 on the rating scale) and the MAX-P group will stop once maximal pain is reached (4 on the rating scale). Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks adopting an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare MWD across three time points. The primary outcome for the trial will be change in maximal treadmill walking distance at 12 and 24 weeks. Trial registration number: NCT04370327

Effects of exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication pain on walking performance in patients with intermittent claudication: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Peripheral artery disease affects over 236 million people globally and the classic symptom is intermittent claudication (IC) which is associated with reduction in physical activity. The evidence that supervised exercise programmes (SEPs) improve pain-free and maximal walking distance is irrefutable. However, adherence rates are low with exercise-related pain cited as a contributing factor. National and international guidelines recommend exercising at a moderate to maximal level of claudication pain to improve walking ability; however, exercising pain-free or at mild claudication pain has been shown to achieve this outcome. There is limited evidence that compares the relative effects of exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication pain. The objective of this study is to directly compare the effects of exercise prescribed at three different levels of claudication pain on walking performance. This study will be a single-centre randomised controlled trial. Based on an power calculation, 51 patients with IC will be allocated to 24 weeks of twice-weekly pain-free (PF), moderate pain (MOD-P) or maximal pain (MAX-P) exercise. The PF group will cease exercise at the onset of claudication (1 on the 0-4 IC rating scale), the MOD-P group will stop once moderate pain is reached (2 on the rating scale) and the MAX-P group will stop once maximal pain is reached (4 on the rating scale). Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks adopting an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare MWD across three time points. The primary outcome for the trial will be change in maximal treadmill walking distance at 12 and 24 weeks. Trial registration number: NCT04370327