Featured Poster: Time course of improved walking performance and patient reported outcome measures in response to supervised treadmill exercise in peripheral artery disease: a randomized clinical trial

Description of Background: Supervised exercise therapy is first line therapy for improving walking impairment in peripheral artery disease (PAD). The typical time required for supervised exercise to produce meaningful improvement in walking performance is unclear. This study identified the typical time course of improved walking performance in response to supervised treadmill exercise in people with PAD.

Methods: In a clinical trial, PAD participants were randomized to supervised treadmill exercise or a non-exercise control group for six months. Changes in 6-minute walk, treadmill walking distance, and the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) distance score were compared between intervention and control at 6-weeks, 3-months, and 6-month follow-up.

Results: Among 210 randomized participants (mean 67 years, 38% female, 67% Black), 200 (95%) completed at least one follow-up. Results are shown in Table 1.

Conclusion: More than six weeks of supervised treadmill exercise were required to attain meaningful improvements in six-minute walk, with large and meaningful benefits attained by 12-week follow-up. In contrast, effects of supervised treadmill exercise on patient reported outcomes measures were not durable.

Learning Objective: Objective 1:
Upon completion, the participant will be able to describe whether six weeks of supervised treadmill exercise typically produces a meaningful improvement in six minute walk distance at 6-week follow-up, compared to a control group that does not exercise.

Objective 2:
Upon completion, the participant will be able to describe the temporal changes in supervised treadmill exercise on treadmill walking distance in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Objective 3:
Upon completion, the participant will be able to describe the changes over time in the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) distance score in Score in patients with peripheral artery disease.