Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Exercise Training Versus Best Medical Treatment Only in Peripheral Artery Disease
Brief Summary: The aim of the investigators' study is to analyze the value of supervised exercise training combined with medical therapy versus best medical treatment only with respect to quality of life. Furthermore, the investigators aim to evaluate the effect of supervised exercise training on microcirculation, peripheral endothelial progenitor cells as well as on future major cardiovascular adverse events.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Positive history of intermittent claudication assessed by the San Diego Claudication Questionnaire
* Exercise limited by intermittent claudication during a screening treadmill test using the Gardner protocol
* Ankle/brachial index (ABI) less than 0.90 at rest, which decreases to less than 0.73 immediately following the treadmill exercise test

Exclusion Criteria:

* Absence of PAD (peripheral artery disease)
* Asymptomatic PAD (Fontaine stage I)
* Rest pain due to PAD (Fontaine stage III)
* Tissue loss due to PAD (Fontaine stage IV)
* Medical conditions that are contraindicative for exercise according to the American College of Sports Medicine (e.g., acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, etc.)
* Cognitive dysfunction (mini-mental state examination score less than 24)
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Peripheral artery disease with intermittent claudication (Rutherford 2-3)
* Exercise tolerance
* Ankle brachial index \< 0,9
* Ability to life independently at home

Exclusion Criteria:

* No PAD
* Asymptomatic PAD
* Ischemic rest pain
* Exercise tolerance limited by other factors than claudication (e.g., coronary artery disease, dyspnoea, poorly controlled blood pressure, any kind of restriction of the musculoskeletal system which might have an influence on the efficiency of exercise training)
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* 150 peripheral arterial disease patients with and without IC

Exclusion Criteria:

* Below or above-knee amputation
* Wheelchair confinement
* Inability to walk on a treadmill or inability to perform progressive resistance training
* Inability to return to the medical center three times weekly for 6 months
* Walking impairment due to a cause other than PAD
* Class II New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure or angina (heart failure or angina occurring at rest or with minimal exertion)
* Planned lower extremity revascularization or any other major surgery within 12 months
* Any increase in anginal symptoms during the previous 6 months or angina at rest
* Subjects with silent coronary ischemia, defined as ST segment depression greater than or equal to 1 mm during baseline exercise treadmill test without associated chest discomfort, unless they have had a normal perfusion stress test during the previous 6 months
* Subjects with left-bundle branch block or significant ST-T wave changes on their baseline ECG who do not have a perfusion stress test demonstrating absence of reversible ischemia within the previous 6 months
* Lower extremity revascularization, major orthopedic surgery, or other major surgery during the previous 3 months
* Myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass grafting during the previous 3 months
* Major medical illnesses that may interfere with subject's ability to complete the interventions and/or follow-up testing
* Current foot ulcer
* ABI greater than 0.95
* Life expectancy less than 12 months
* Does not speak English
* Patient is currently involved in another clinical trial
* Dementia
* Poorly controlled blood pressure
* Current significant exercise, defined as exercising three times weekly for 30 minutes with sufficient exertion to produce a sweat or other exercise that is comparable to the exercise interventions offered in our protocol
* Treatment for cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) during the past 12 months (including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery)
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* PAD stage 2 or 3 according to Fontaine,
* Surgical or radiological intervention indicated

Exclusion Criteria:

* No insurance for physiotherapy,
* Insufficient command of the Dutch language,
* Serious cardiopulmonary limitations (NYHA 3-4,)
* Major amputation,
* Serious co-morbidity prohibiting physical training

Answer: B