Lower extremity peripheral artery disease: a basic approach

Digital Ulcers: Multidisciplinary Approach and Dermatological Management

INTRODUCTION

Digital ulcers represent a current public health issue, due to the relevant difficulties in their management and their tendency to become chronic, non-healing lesions.

OBJECTIVES

Our case series represents an opportunity to discuss the main comorbidities of digital ulcers and to present an evidence-based treatment protocol that has proved highly effective in our clinical practice.

METHODS

We collected the clinical data about clinical features, associated diseases and diagnostic therapeutical procedures of 28 patients with digital ulcers referred to our Wound Care Service at S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital.

RESULTS

Digital ulcers were divided into 5 categories, based on the causative agent: peripheral artery disease: 5/16 females and 4/12 males, diabetes-associated wounds: 2/16 females and 1/12 males, mixed wounds: 4/12 males, pressure wounds: 3/16 females and 2/12 males, and immune-mediated diseases associated with wounds: 6/16 females and 1/12 males. Each group received specific management, based on the characteristics of the ulcer and the underlying comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical evaluation of digital wounds requires a thorough knowledge of their aetiopathogenesis. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to achieve a precise diagnosis and correct treatment.

Intelligent Algorithm-Based Analysis on Ultrasound Image Characteristics of Patients with Lower Extremity Arteriosclerosis Occlusion and Its Correlation with Diabetic Mellitus Foot

Objective

The study focused on the correlation between lower extremity arteriosclerosis and diabetic mellitus (DM) foot, and it was explored by virtue of ultrasound images processed by an intelligent algorithm.

Methods

A total of 60 DM foot patients admitted to our hospital in the past three years were selected and divided into two groups according to their condition. Patients with DM foot alone were in group B (30 cases), and patients with DM foot combined with lower extremity arteriosclerosis occlusion were in group C (30 cases). 30 healthy people were in group A as a control. Color Doppler ultrasound was used to examine the arteries of the lower extremities of all subjects. It the intramedia thickness (IMT) from the femoral artery to the dorsal foot artery was recorded, whether there was plaque in the artery or knowing the size of the plaque, its echo, and distribution, and whether the artery had stenosis. Next, the stenosis percentage was calculated. Additionally, the general information of patients was analyzed. At the same time, an intelligent algorithm was used to process ultrasound images, and its effects on image quality were evaluated.

Results

Doppler ultrasound images processed by Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) had less noise and better quality, and key information about the lesion was clearly displayed. There was no statistical difference between the general data of the three groups of patients; group B and group C had higher IMT value, plaque incidence, arterial stenosis incidence, and degree of stenosis versus group A, and there were statistically significant differences between groups B and C. In particular, the incidence of femoral artery stenosis and the degree of stenosis were significantly higher in group C than in group B. The rate of stenosis above grade I in group C was as high as 71%, while that in group B was only 19%; in Group C, the incidence of stenosis above grade II was 30%, and that in group B was 13.1%. Compared with group A, group B and group C had decreased peak arterial blood velocity (PSV), resistance index (RI), and pulse index (PI), and there were statistically significant differences between groups B and C.

Conclusion

DM foot is a risk factor for arteriosclerosis occlusion; color Doppler ultrasound demonstrates good diagnostic effects on arteriosclerosis occlusion; the algorithm proposed in this study can improve the quality of Doppler ultrasound images and has a high application value.

Effectiveness of Propionyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Intermittent Claudication: A Systematic Review

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 8.5 million people in the United States and more than 200 million worldwide. The most significant risk factors for PAD are hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and smoking. Intermittent claudication (IC) is the predominant symptom of PAD, but only about 10% of patients with PAD experience IC and are associated with reduced exercise capacity. The pathophysiology of IC is characterized by different degrees of stenosis and obstruction, with a progressive reduction in distal perfusion pressure and blood flow. Supervised exercise therapy is recommended as the initial therapy for IC, but the recommendations for medical treatment of IC vary significantly. Propionyl L-carnitine is an acyl derivative of levocarnitine (L-carnitine) and is indicated for patients with the peripheral arterial occlusive disease. It corrects secondary muscle carnitine deficiency in patients with PAD, significantly improving the walking capacity; its levels increase in serum and muscle. Thus, it is suggested to enhance blood flow and oxygen supply to the muscle tissue via improved endothelial function, thereby reducing hypoxia-induced cellular and biochemical disruptions.