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Overview
Top 10 Take-Home Messages
1. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common cardiovascular disease
associated with increased risk of amputation, myocardial infarction,
stroke, and death, as well as impaired quality of life, walking
performance, and functional status.
2. This guideline defines 4 clinical subsets of PAD: asymptomatic
PAD (may have functional impairment), chronic symptomatic PAD
(including claudication), chronic limb-threatening ischemia, and
acute limb ischemia.
3. Detection of PAD in most patients is accomplished through the
history, physical examination, and the resting ankle-brachial index.
4. Health disparities in PAD are associated with poor limb and
cardiovascular outcomes and must be addressed at the individual
patient and population levels, with interventions coordinated
between multiple stakeholders across the cardiovascular community
and public health infrastructure.
5. Effective medical therapies for patients with PAD should be
prescribed to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events and major
adverse limb events for patients with PAD, including antiplatelet
(generally single antiplatelet) and antithrombotic therapy, lipid-
lowering (ie, high-intensity statin) and antihypertensive therapy,
management of diabetes, and smoking cessation. Rivaroxaban (2.5
mg twice daily) combined with low-dose aspirin (81 mg daily) is
effective to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events and major
adverse limb events in patients with PAD who are not at increased
risk of bleeding.
