Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

This is a concise summary of information on the incidence, diagnosis, classification and non-surgical treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD imposes a significant burden on health care system. Patients suffering from PAD have leg pains, difficulty walking, and lower extremity ulcers. If untreated, this condition can result in limb loss. It is both a life and a limb-threatening condition. It is important to recognise this condition early on, even in the absence of symptoms, in order to provide the best possible therapy in a timely manner. Early and aggressive treatment of PAD is crucial for limb salvage. The surgical therapeutic options for PAD are well-known and described in the literature; however, the information on medical and other non-surgical options for PAD is scattered and not well-summarised. In this book, the authors have attempted to assimilate and summarise in one place all the available information regarding the epidemiology of PAD, clinical features of the disease, clinical and anatomical classification of PAD, medications used to treat PAD, role of fish oil supplementation in PAD and the endovascular therapeutic options for PAD. The authors have summarised the latest available endovascular interventional strategies for the management of aortoiliac, femoropopliteal as well as infrapopliteal PAD. Peripheral vascular intervention is an exciting and ever-changing field, and the authors have attempted to synthesise information from all the major and relevant studies in this field. The authors hope that their book serves as a valuable reference resource for clinicians who are actively involved in the management of patients suffering from PAD, including primary care physicians, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiovascular fellows in training.