Aspirin, Statins Tied to Better PAD Outcomes

Improving the use of even minimal medical therapy may boost outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), researchers found.

At admission, about two-thirds (69%) of patients with PAD who were about to undergo elective peripheral vascular interventions were receiving both aspirin and a statin, according to P. Michael Grossman, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.

During 6 months of follow-up after the intervention, those who were taking both agents when they entered the hospital were less likely to have an adverse outcome (7.3% versus 15.8%; odds ratio 0.45, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.71), defined as a repeat peripheral vascular intervention, amputation, or limb salvage surgery, the researchers reported online in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

"The fundamental elements of medical therapy in patients with lifestyle-limiting claudication are often underutilized before referral for revascularization," they wrote.

"Strategies, such as collaborative continuous quality improvement programs," they wrote, "need to be explored and expanded, with the goal of improving the quality of medical therapy in this patient population."

Grossman and colleagues examined the use and impact of recommended medical therapy in patients who underwent percutaneous interventions for lifestyle-limiting claudication using the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium Peripheral Vascular Intervention database.

- Improving the use of even minimal medical therapy may improve outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). - Note that there was no difference in cardiovascular events among those taking an aspirin and a statin on admission and those who were not.

The analysis included 1,357 patients with aorto-iliac or femoropopliteal disease who underwent elective interventions at 11 hospitals from 2007 through 2009.

PAD is short for Peripheral Artery Disease. People have PAD when the arteries in their legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, or plaque. The buildup of plaque causes the arteries to harden and narrow, which is called atherosclerosis. When leg arteries are hardened and clogged, blood flow to the legs and feet is reduced. Some people call this poor circulation.

PAD occurs most often in the arteries in the legs, but it also can affect other arteries that carry blood outside the heart. This includes arteries that go to the aorta, the brain, the arms, the kidneys and the stomach. When arteries inside the heart are hardened or narrowed, it is called coronary artery disease or cardiovascular disease.

The good news is that like other diseases related to the arteries, PAD can be treated by making lifestyle changes, by taking medicines, or by having endovascular or surgical procedures, if needed.
is a serious disease that affects about 8 million Americans. The hardened arteries found in people with PAD are a sign that they are likely to have hardened and narrowed arteries to the heart and the brain. That is why people with PAD are at high risk for having a heart attack or a stroke.