Clinical profile of patients with peripheral artery disease treated with high-pressure intermittent pneumatic compression in st. lukes medical center-quezon city: a 6-year retrospective cohort study
Authors: Acosta K R , Caballero T A , Beltran J 
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Background
High-pressure intermittent pneumatic compression (HPIPC) has been proposed as an alternative intervention to supervised exercise to improve intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). This intervention has already been introduced in the Philippines. However, no local data have been published regarding the clinical profile of patients with PAD treated with HPIPC. This study aims to determine the clinical profile of patients with PAD treated with HPIPC in our Medical Center from March 2015 to March 2021.

Purpose
Knowledge about the clinical profile of patients with PAD treated with HPIPC in SLMC-QC will provide local data that can lead to better planning of the next generation of PAD care in our institution or even in the Philippines. This study can therefore serve as a baseline for further studies to identify clinical outcomes using HPIPC.

Methods
A total of eighty-three (N=83) adult patients aged ≥19 years with confirmed diagnosis of PAD and symptoms of intermittent claudication who received at least 12 sessions of HPIPC in the Department of Vascular Medicine from March 2015 to March 2021 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The primary outcome was identification of the clinical profile of the study population that included age, sex, smoking history and co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The secondary outcome was description of the clinical outcomes of the study population after a minimum of 12 sessions of HPIPC. Descriptive statistics were generated for all variables. Continuous variables were presented as mean (standard deviation, SD)'. Nominal and ordinal data were reported as frequencies and percentages. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v27 software. The flow diagram of the study is shown in Figure 1.

Results
The mean (SD)' age of the study population was 75 (14)' years. Approximately 76% of them were aged ≥65 years. Overall, there were more males (57%) than females (43%) in the study. Majority of the study population were never-smokers (70%), had hypertension (89%), DM (81%), dyslipidemia (78%) and abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI, 80%). The mean (SD)' ABI of the study population was 0.92 (0.5)'. 92% had hemodynamically significant stenosis in the distal arterial segments of the lower extremities while 62% had hemodynamically significant stenosis in the proximal arterial segments of the lower extremities (Table 1).

Conclusion
Age ≥65 years, male sex, never-smoker, hypertension, DM and dyslipidemia defined the clinical profile of patients with PAD treated with HPIPC in SLMC-QC from March 2015 to March 2021. Appropriate management of these risk factors can lead to better PAD care in the institution. Further studies are recommended to determine the efficacy of HPIPC in the treatment of PAD.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1. Flow diagram of the studyTable 1. Results of the study