Patients with blocked arteries of the legs will be in a better position after the procedure for expanding arteries if they quit smoking and take aspirin and statins, drugs that lower cholesterol, a new study shows. These simple measures will help them avoid complications.
However, very few, according to researchers, take such measures to reduce leg pain and cramps associated with peripheral arterial disease, also known as PAD.
An analysis of the data of more than 1300 patients hospitalized for intervention on peripheral vessels showed that only about 47 percent of them did not smoke and took aspirin and statins - drugs that prevent blood clots and improve blood flow. Angioplasty, as this procedure is called, is performed to expand the blocked arteries of the legs and improve blood circulation.
Upon discharge from the hospital, 71 percent of patients took aspirin and statins and either did not smoke or still smoked, but wanted to get rid of this habit and sought help.
Six months after the procedure, the incidence of complications, such as repeated surgery on peripheral vessels, surgery to preserve the limb, and amputation, was 7 percent for those who took aspirin and statins, and almost 16 percent for those who did not.
This "modest improvement" among statin-treated patients is due to the fact that many patients missed the opportunity to save their own lives, explains study author Michael Grossman, an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.
