Peripheral Arterial Obstructive Disease Research Articles

Haemorheological effects of fructose-1,6-diphosphate in patients with lower extremity ischaemia

A prospective, single-blind study was carried out in 30 patients with obstructive peripheral artery disease to investigate the haemorheological properties of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP). Patients were allocated at random to receive 7 to 10-days' treatment with either 10 g or 10% FDP twice daily or saline. Measurements were made on entry and at the end of treatment of whole blood and plasma viscosity, erythrocyte deformability and aggregation, and lower limb blood flow was evaluated by Doppler technique. FDP treatment was associated with a reduction in whole blood viscosity (24%) and red blood cell aggregation index (27%), and an improvement in red blood cell deformability (42%) (p less than 0.01). No significant changes were observed in the control group. Plasma viscosity did not change in either treatment group. Limb blood flow increased (p less than 0.05) only in patients treated with FDP; the improvement was more pronounced in the most severely affected side (30%). No untoward events were observed or reported in any of the patients studied.

Risk factors in asymptomatic patients with a carotid bruit

A consecutive series of 369 asymptomatic patients with a carotid bruit was prospectively followed with Ocular Pneumoplethysmography (OPG). The aim of the study was to identify those patients most prone to cerebrovascular ischemia and/or progression of obstructive carotid disease. During follow-up 13 patients developed a stroke of which six were fatal (two thrombo-embolic and four haemorrhagic strokes). TIA's occurred in 15 patients, including eight patients with amaurosis fugax. TIA's occurred more frequently on the side of a haemodynamically significant stenosis (9% = 9/95) than on the side of a normal, OPG (2% = 6/274). There was no difference in the strokelocated side. The occurrence of symptoms and/or signs of cerebrovascular disease was 4% at two years and 10% at five years. The left hemisphere was affected twice as often as the right. The development of a haemodynamically significant carotid stenosis, according to OPG, was equal for the right and the left carotid arteries, being 18% at two years and 56% after 5 years of follow-up. The major risk factors for progression of obstructive disease were systolic blood pressure above 160 mmHg independent of age, diabetes mellitus and the presence of ischaemic heart and peripheral arterial obstructive disease. This study supports the contention that in a group of patients with an asymptomatic carotid bruit, a group of patients at risk from cerebrovascular accidents can be filtered out by a simple non-invasive test in combination with a complete physical examination.

Level of plasma fibronectin in patients with peripheral vascular disease

Plasma concentration of fibronectin, a recently characterized high molecular mass glycoprotein, was determined in patients with peripheral vascular disease. The plasma fibronectin concentration was lower in patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease as well as in patients with venous disease, than in corresponding healthy controls. Patients with venous disease had significantly lower levels of plasma fibronectin than patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease. The patients with peripheral arterial disease were divided into two groups, one having diabetes and another not having diabetes respectively. Between these two groups there was no significant difference in plasma fibronectin concentration.

Effect of Ketanserin on the Hyperreactivity of Platelets to 5-Hydroxytryptamine in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Platelet aggregation in response to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was investigated in 110 patients with cardiovascular diseases and in 40 age-matched control subjects. It was found that 40% of those patients had a biphasic irreversible platelet aggregation in response to 5-HT, whereas 92.5% of the control subjects responded with a weak reversible aggregation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study, including 41 patients, showed that a subacute treatment with ketanserin significantly abolished platelet aggregation in patients hyperreactive to 5-HT. In an additional open study, including 10 patients with peripheral arterial obstructive disease, chronic treatment with ketanserin for a period of 3 months significantly suppressed the primary platelet aggregation to 5-HT at 2 X 10(-5) M and at 2 X 10(-6) M and significantly lowered the plasma beta-thromboglobulin levels.

Studies of the clinical pharmacology and therapeutic efficacy of pentoxifylline in peripheral obstructive arterial disease.

Studies were carried out to investigate the effects of pentoxifylline on various hemorheological (whole blood, plasma and serum viscosity, erythrocyte filtrability, hematocrit), hemostasiological (blood coagulation and fibrinolysis: euglobulin lysis time, fibrinogen, plasminogen, alpha-2-macroglobulin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, antiplasmin; platelet function: beta-thromboglobulin), and hemodynamic factors (limb perfusion: rest and peak flow, time to peak flow; systemic blood pressure, heart rate). In addition, clinical efficacy was monitored in patients with claudication by assessing walking capacity under placebo controlled double blind cross over conditions. The investigations disclosed the positive influence of acute and chronic pentoxifylline administration on hemorheological, hemostasiological and perfusion parameters, most of the changes recorded being statistically significant. The clinical benefit of pentoxifylline (Trental 400) treatment was demonstrated by the significantly superior increase in walking capacity in comparison to placebo in the controlled study.

Influence of non-selective and selective beta adrenoceptor blockade on isoxsuprine-dependent hemodynamic and rheologic changes.

The infusion of isoxsuprine was followed by an increase of heart rate and calf blood flow and by a decrease of arterial diastolic pressure and blood viscosity both in normal controls and patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease. The pre-treatment with a non-selective beta adrenoceptor blocker (propranolol) canceled all the isoxsuprine-dependent changes, while the pre-treatment with a selective beta adrenoceptor blocker (metoprolol) abolished only tachycardia and did not influence the increase of calf blood flow and the decrease of blood viscosity. These findings indicate the different role of vascular beta receptors in the regulation of muscular blood flow and suggest the pharmacologic possibility to unmask the beta2-dependent vasodilation.

Decreased alpha 2-antiplasmin levels in patients suffering from obstructive peripheral arterial disease.

Decreased alpha 2-antiplasmin levels in patients suffering from obstructive peripheral arterial disease.

Detection of obstructive arterial disease.

Many physicians do not feel competent in the diagnosis of peripheral obstructive arterial disease. This fact reflects a tendency to omit examination of the peripheral vasculature in patients without complaints in that area or in routine physical examinations. Even in university-hospital settings, peripheral pulses are often not recorded in the detailed physical examinations. If the physician is not skilled in palpating normal pulses, he cannot expect to detect the abnormal. Patients with symptomatic aortoiliac atherosclerosis are frequently treated as orthopedic or neurologic problems, and those with lumbar-disk disease, neurogenic claudication, or arthritis are often referred to vascular specialists. What is . . .