title: Prevention of ischemic events in patients with peripheral arterial disease design, baseline characteristics and 2-year results an observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with frequent cardiovascular ischemic events. We followed the survival of PAD patients and tested whether PAD remains an adverse prognostic indicator in spite of treatment according to the current European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight hundred eleven patients with PAD and 778 control subjects, aged 65 (SD 9) years at inclusion, with a male/female ratio of 3/2 were treated according to the European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention and evaluated yearly for occurrence of death, non-fatal acute coronary syndrome, stroke or critical limb ischemia (major events) and revascularization procedures (minor events). At baseline, classical risk factors were significantly more prevalent in the PAD group and protective cardiovascular medication was prescribed to patients with PAD more frequently than to control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the PAD group, the 2-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimate was 96.7% (CI 95.4-97.9) vs. 98.2% (CI 97.2-99.1) in the control group, P=0.059. The groups differed in the 2-year major event-free survival: 93.5% (CI 92.7-95.3) in PAD vs. 97.1% (CI 95.9-98.4) in controls, P<0.017, as well as in event-free survival: 79.9% (CI 77.1-82.9) in PAD vs.96.4% (CI 95.0-97.9) in controls, P<0.001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with PAD had a borderline higher risk of all-cause death and a significantly higher risk of major and minor non-fatal cardiovascular events compared to control subjects. However, treatment according to the European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention resulted in encouragingly low absolute mortality and morbidity. (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00761969.).
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Diseases, University of Ljubljana Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia. ales.blinc@kclj.si
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blinc
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabovic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Božic
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stegnar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poredoš
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kravos
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barbic-Žagar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pohar Perme
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stare
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017524:Slovenia; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome