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People
with peripheral artery disease have an increased short- and
long-term risk of death after undergoing a procedure to open
clogged heart arteries, a new study finds. Peripheral artery
disease (PAD) is a build-up of plaque in the blood vessels
of the legs and organs of the body. These cholesterol
blockages can interfere with blood flow and cause pain and
cramping in the legs, sores that don't heal properly,
abdominal pain, high blood pressure and other health
problems. For the study, researchers looked at data from
nearly 2,500 heart disease patients who underwent
percutaneous coronary intervention (which includes both
angioplasty and stenting) to open clogged heart arteries. Of
those patients, 7 percent also had peripheral artery
disease. The death rate while patients were in hospital
immediately after the procedure was much higher for those
with peripheral artery disease than those without the
disease 1.7 percent vs. 0.1 percent. There was not a
significant difference between the two groups in their rates
of heart attack, stroke and other major complications. Over
an average follow-up of 4.4 years, the patients with
peripheral artery disease also had a much higher death rate
than those without the disease 23.8 percent vs. 10.8
percent. But after the researchers took into account other
medical conditions and factors that might influence
patients' health, long-term death rates were similar for
patients with and without peripheral artery disease. This
finding highlights the importance of ongoing preventive
measures (healthy diet, adequate exercise). Manage
cholesterol levels, diabetes and high blood pressure in
patients with peripheral artery disease properly who undergo
angioplasty and stenting, according to the researchers.
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