Guidelines for Peripheral Arterial Disease

Background: These new peripheral arterial disease (PAD) guidelines focus on disorders of the abdominal aorta, renal and mesenteric arteries, and lower-extremity arteries. The audience is clinicians who care for patients with PAD, including cardiologists, vascular surgeons, radiologists, general internists, family practitioners, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The class I recommendations mentioned below reflect consistent evidence and/or consensus opinion; class IIa recommendations reflect some conflict among evidence or opinion, with the weight in favor of usefulness or efficacy.

Key Points:

1. The guidelines emphasize early detection and treatm…