miércoles, 20 de noviembre de 2013

Combining exercise, vessel-opening procedure reduces leg pain | American Heart Association

Combining exercise, vessel-opening procedure reduces leg pain | American Heart Association

11/18/2013 05:20 PM EST

Source: American Heart Association
Related MedlinePlus Page: Peripheral Arterial Disease

Combining exercise, vessel-opening procedure reduces leg pain

American Heart Association Late-Breaking Clinical Trial Report LBCT 4/Abstract: 19577 (Ballrooms C1 & C2)

Study Highlights:
  • A combination of supervised exercise and a procedure to open clogged blood vessels in the legs reduces pain when walking better than supervised exercise alone.
  • One year after the combined treatment, patients could walk 282 meters (about three blocks) farther, and with less pain, than patients who received supervised exercise alone.
Embargoed until 3 p.m. CT/ 4 p.m. ET Monday, Nov. 18, 2013
This release is featured in an embargoed media briefing at 1:45 p.m. CT, Monday, Nov. 18.
DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2013 — Supervised exercise combined with a procedure that opens clogged blood vessels reduces leg pain significantly better than exercise alone in patients with blocked blood vessels in the legs, according to a late-breaking clinical trial presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013.
Endovascular Revascularization And Supervised Exercise (ERASE) Trial researchers studied 212 patients with leg pain caused by intermittent claudication, a condition in which patients suffer from pain in the legs due to poor circulation associated with blocked blood vessels. They assigned half of the participants to receive supervised exercise and the other half to undergo angioplasty or stenting procedures to open blocked blood vessels followed by supervised exercise.
Twelve months after treatment, patients who received the combined therapies walked about 282 meters (.18 miles or about three blocks) farther, and with less pain, than those in the exercise-only group. The combined-therapy group was able to increase their pain-free walking an average of one quarter of a mile farther than patients in the exercise-only group.
“Although guidelines recommend supervised exercise as initial therapy in patients with intermittent claudication, our data suggest that a combined therapy of the vessel-opening procedure followed by a supervised exercise program might be the best option,” said Farzin Fakhry, M.Sc., lead author and a Ph.D. candidate at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Researchers conducted the study in May 2010- March 2013 at 10 centers in the Netherlands. Participants underwent physical assessments including a treadmill test to measure walking duration and associated pain, and quality-of-life assessments at the beginning of the study, and after one, six and 12 months.
Intermittent claudication is a form of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a narrowing of the peripheral arteries, the blood vessels that bring blood to the legs from the heart. It occurs when blood vessels narrow or become blocked through atherosclerosis, the process of thickening and hardening of arteries.
PAD affects more than 8 million Americans each year. The most common symptoms include leg-muscle pain, cramping and fatigue with walking and other activities. Although the leg pain usually stops with rest, it can severely limit movement and quality of life, and often is an early sign of more serious illness, including heart disease and stroke.
Currently, patients seeking treatment for leg pain associated with blocked blood vessels for the first time usually receive only exercise therapy involving treadmill-walking sessions under medical supervision or angioplasty.
During the procedure to open blockages, doctors thread a tiny wire into the blocked vessel, which is then opened by inflating a small balloon. Often, a small, inserted wire-mesh tube called a stent is put in place at the site of the blockage to keep the blood vessel propped open.
“Based on our study results, this combined therapy of angioplasty or stenting plus exercise therapy should be considered as an initial treatment,” Fakhry said.
Risk factors for developing narrow or blocked blood vessels in the legs include smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Co-authors are Sandra Spronk, Ph.D.; Lijckle van der Laan, M.D., PhD; Jan Wever, M.D., Ph.D.; Joep Teijink, M.D., Ph.D.; Wolter Hoffmann, M.D., Ph.D.; Taco Smits, M.D., Ph.D.; Arie van der Ham, M.D., Ph.D.; Guido Stultiens, M.D.; Alex Derom, M.D.; Ted den Hoed, M.D., Ph.D.; Dimitris Rizopoulos, Ph.D.; Ellen Rouwet, M.D., Ph.D. and Myriam Hunink, M.D., Ph.D., Disclosures
ZON-MW and The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development funded the study.
For more news from AHA Scientific Sessions 2013, follow @HeartNews #AHA13 on Twitter.
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content.  Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
Note: Actual presentation is 4:29 p.m. CT/5:29 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, in Ballrooms C1 & C2.
For Media Inquiries:                                   
AHA News Media in Dallas: (214) 706-1173
AHA News Media Office, Nov. 16-20,
at the Dallas Convention Center: (214) 853-8008
For Public Inquiries: (800) AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario