PAD Special Interest Group

Top 10 research priorities

1. What can be done to improve outcomes in patients with severe circulation problems to their legs?

2. What is the optimal exercise prescription for patients with poor circulation to the legs? How can we improve provision and access to exercise programs?

3. How can we diagnose patients with poor circulation to their legs earlier and better? Would this make a difference in the long term?

4. How can we educate other doctors and healthcare workers so that they gain a better understanding of the consequences of a diagnosis of poor circulation to the legs?

5. How can we help educate better those patients who have poor circulation to their legs?

6. How can we make it easier for patients to get help for poor circulation to the legs?

7. What are the best ways to reduce the leg pain symptoms seen with patients with poor leg circulation without performing an operation?

8. How can we slow down any progression of symptoms in those patients with poor circulation to their legs?

9. How can we stop patients getting poor circulation to their legs?

10. How can we reduce cardiovascular risk in PAD patients?

The process of developing these 10 reserch priorities is outlined in an open-access peer reviewed paper published in the Journal of the Vascular Societies of Great Britain and Ireland:

Pymer S, Harwood AE, Long J, Chetter IC, Saratzis A, Coughlin P, on behalf of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland Peripheral Arterial Disease Special Interest Group James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership. Research priorities for patients with peripheral arterial disease: a James Lind Alliance Priority
Setting Partnership. J.Vasc.Soc.G.B.Irel. 2022;1(2):23-29. http://doi.org/10.54522/jvsgbi.2022.011

The PAD SIG has 4 separate domains: Intervention, Diagnosis & Imaging, Best Medical Therapy & Exercise, and Patient and Public Involvement.

SIG Chairs

Patrick Coughlin – Vascular Surgeon

Athanasios (Thanos) Saratzis – Vascular Surgeon

SIG Members

Amy Harwood – Sport and Exercise Scientist

Chris Twine – Consultant Vascular Surgeon

Eleanor Atkins – Vascular trainee

Hany Zayed – Consultant Vascular Surgeon

Leanne Atkin – Vascular Nurse Consultant

Panagiota Birmpili – Vascular trainee

Robert Davies – Consultant Vascular Surgeon

Stefan Birkett – Clinical Exercise Physiologist

2 patient representatives

New investigators

Gabriel Lopez

Projects supported

SHOCkwave lithotripsy for Calcified plaques in patients with peripheral arterial disease: a pragmatic registry with in-depth automated plaque analysis – the SHOCC study – Athanasios Saratzis – Industry – Funded
A randomised controlled trial assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Endovascular vs. Open revascularisation in severe oCClusive aorto-iliac disease – The EVOCC Trial – Athanasios Saratzis – NIHR HTA – Funded
RESTORE (early vs. expectant revascularisation for diabetic foot ulceration in people with mild to moderate PAD) – NIHR HTA – Under development/review
PEAK (assessment of a healthcare bundle to prevent acute kidney injury in people having endovascular PAD interventions) – NIHR HTA – Under development/review
DUSTER (surveillance following infra-inguinal endovascular intervention randomised trial) – NIHR HTA – Under development/review
One platform trial development project for new PAD therapies
One national position statement on the format of supervised exercise therapy is currently in preparation by the members of the BMT & Exercise domain

contact

If you have an interest in the top 10 Peripheral Arterial Disease priorities, you can contact the PAD SIG via Paddy Coughlin (patrick.coughlin1@nhs.net).