New recommendations for treatment of asymptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) and claudication released by the Society for Vascular Surgery

CHICAGO, March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As many as 10 million Americans have peripheral artery disease (PAD), but despite the prevalence of the disease, current standards of care for diagnosis and management of PAD are poorly defined, and may be contributing to the overuse of invasive procedures.

The Society for Vascular Surgery has just released much-needed recommendations for the treatment of asymptomatic PAD and intermittent claudication (IC), its most common symptom. The treatment recommendations are evidence-based, patient-oriented and considered best practices by the SVS Lower Extremity Practice Guidelines Committee, a diverse group of eminent vascular surgeons. The guidelines may be viewed at http://vsweb.org/LEguidelines.

The guidelines were published online in the Journal of Vascular Surgery just one day before a story in the New York Times about the over-use of stents in peripheral vessels and exorbitant Medicare payments that have been made to individual physicians as a result.

Though more patients than ever are receiving interventions for PAD, patients without symptoms or with mild-moderate IC seldom need stents or invasive procedures, note Drs. Michael Conte and Frank Pomposelli, who co-chaired the committee. In fact, they stressed, the majority of such patients should be treated with a variety of non-interventional treatments and regular case management by a vascular professional.

Among the recommendations developed by the committee for patients with asymptomatic PAD and claudication were:

• Patient education
• Smoking cessation
• Exercise
• Medications for dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)
• Selective interventions for IC
• Case management by a vascular specialist

The new guidelines on the treatment of asymptomatic PAD patients can be accessed at http://vsweb.org/LEguidelines.

The Society for Vascular Surgery advances the care and knowledge about vascular disease, which affects the veins and arteries of the body, to improve lives everywhere. It counts more than 5,000 medical professionals worldwide as members, including surgeons, physicians and nurses. For more information about vascular health and the society, please visit the society's website, www.vascularweb.org.

SOURCE Society for Vascular Surgery