A targeted screening method for peripheral arterial disease: a pilot study

Excerpt

Podiatrists play a central role in conducting non-invasive vascular foot assessment in the general population. Routine clinical assessment of lower limb arterial flow in at risk patients is essential in early detection and monitoring of the disease. There are a variety of clinical examinations available to clinicians in order to determine adequacy of blood supply to the lower extremity. However, recent research suggests that certain conditions, such as advanced age, diabetes, renal failure and medial arterial calcification can affect the accuracy of some of these examinations. Currently, there are no specific guidelines dictating the most appropriate methods of assessing lower limb vascular status for Podiatrists. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a targeted vascular screening method for podiatrists. …