Exercise Rehabilitation for Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia After Revascularization

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects more than 200 million people worldwide. This disease occurs with narrowing and occlusion of arteries supplying oxygenated blood to the organs and limbs. Symptomatic patients typically experience leg pain with physical activity. More advanced disease states are referred to as critical limb ischemia (CLI), where patients may have leg pain at rest or non-healing wounds. Primary treatment of PAD involves risk factor management; smoking cessation, management of blood pressure, blood cholesterol, diabetes, and exercise prescription. Patients with CLI typically require interventions to reestablish blood supply to their limbs. There is currently minimal understanding of the role for exercise rehabilitation after revascularization procedures in this vulnerable population. This is the first clinical to understand the role of exercise for these patients. We hypothesize that exercise rehabilitation after revascularization will improve quality of life and functional capacity in these patients.