Peripheral Arterial Disease Flashcards
What happens to arteries in Peripheral Arterial Disease?
Artery walls thicken, artery becomes more narrow and degenerate. Involves arteries in neck, abdomen and extremities.
- in most cases, atherosclerosis is leading cause.
PAD increases with ____? And is more prevalent in which gender?
Increases with age. Typically appears in 60-80 yrs of age.
- more common in women
Risk factors of PAD
- Cig smoking (most important)
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- elevated C-Reactive protein
What is the classic symptom of PAD?
Intermittent claudication= ischemic muscle pain caused by exercise
- pain resolves in 10 min or less with rest & this pain is reproducible.
- the pain is result of lactic acid building up from anaerobic metabolism (since they dont get enough O2). Once the person stops exercising and the lactic acid clears, the pain goes away.
- PAD in iliac arteries–> pain in butt & thighs
- PAD in femoral or popliteal –> pain in calf
PAD affects which arteries in the lower extremities?
- iliac
- femoral
- popliteal
- peroneal
- femoral popliteal area is most common in non-diabetic patients. Patients who are diabetic tend to develop PAD in arteries below the knee.
Describe the clinical manifestation Paresthesia in PAD?
- Paresthesia (numbness/tingling in the toes or feet)
- usually present near ulcerated areas
- produces loss of pressure sensations and deep pain sensations
injuries can go unnoticed by patient (must teach patient to be cognizant of temperatures in their environment and also foot care).
Describe changes in the appearance of affected extremities in PAD
- Thin, shiny, taut skin
- loss of hair on lower legs
- diminished or absent pedal, popliteal, or femoral pulse
- pallor of foot with leg elevation
- reactive hyperemia (redness/dependent rubor) of foot with dependent position
As PAD progresses, pain develops at rest and occurs…
- occurs in the foot or toes most often.
- pain is aggravated by limb elevation
- pain is result of insufficient blood flow
- ## pain occurs more often at night with cardiac output is less during sleep and limbs are at the same level as the heart when lying down. (patients may dangle feet or prefer sleeping in a chair to ease pain/maximize blood flow)
What are some complications of PAD and of these, which are the most serious?
- Prolonged ischemia leads to atrophy of the skin and underlying muscles
- delayed healing
- wound infections
- tissue necrosis
- arterial ulcers (over bony prominences on toes feet and lower legs)
- *Most serious complications are nonhealing arterial ulcers and gangrene–> may result in amputation if blood flow is not restored or if a severe infection occurs.
Describe the doppler ultrasound used to diagnose PAD
- Doppler ultrasound maps blood flow through the entire region of an artery. If peripheral pulse is non-palpable then a doppler ultrasound can determine the degree of blood flow.
- a palpable pulse and a doppler pulse are not equivalent or interchangeable so segmental BP is obtained using a doppler and sphygmomanometer.
How is segmental blood pressure used to determine PAD?
- using a doppler and BP cuff, BP is taken at the thigh, below the knee, and at the ankle, when patient is supine.
- a drop in segmental BP of more than 30 mmHg suggests PAD.
Describe the ante-brachial index (ABI)
- done using hand-held doppler
- calculated by dividing the ankle systolic BP by the higher of the left and right brachial systolic BP.
- in elderly patients, and diabetic patients, the arteries are often calcified and non compressible resulting in falsely high elevated ABI.
- ABI not recommended after revasculation surgery or on a distal bypass graft because of risk of graft thrombosis.
List values for normal ABI, mild claudication ABI, moderate ABI, severe ABI, and ischemia ABI
Normal: 1.0-1.2 Mild: 0.90-0.70 Moderate: 0.70-0.40 Severe: 0.4-0.3 Ischemia: less than 0.3
what is the first Tx goal in PAD?
The first Tx goal in PAD is to reduce CVD risk factors in all patients regardless of the severity of symptoms
- Done through:
- tobacco cessation
- agressive tx of hyperlipidemia
- BP maintained less than 140/90
- glycosolated hemoglobin (A1C) less than 0.7% for diabetics
How do ACE inhibitors work in PAD?
- ACE inhibitors used to prevent periphery from vasoconstriction because they dialate vessels–> Ramipril (Altace)
- decrease CV morbidity
- decrease mortality
- increase peripheral blood flow
- increase ABI
- increase walking distance