Abstract: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. It is the main factor attributed to the diabetic foot ulcer and the subsequent foot amputation. The current management for PAD includes the use of hyperbaric oxygen to improve the perfusion to the lower limbs. Negative pressure recently had been experimented as a new method to enhance the lower limb circulation, but only studied in healthy non diabetics. This research aimed to study the effects of applying intermittent negative pressure (INP) with a simple manual device to diabetic patients with PAD. A costumed plastic cast, designed to accommodate the foot and leg, was used to deliver the negative pressure to six patients with PAD. The process involved ten seconds of INP and five seconds as rest, and repeated for ten minutes daily for four weeks. The right lower limb was the test and the left was used as a control. The arterial flow magnitude was measured by a portable Doppler machine from the posterior tibial artery and dorsalis pedis artery. Five of the six patients, representing 83% of the patients, agreed that the Plastic cast improved their PAD associated symptoms; however, the mean difference of the Doppler vascular scoring between the test and control was insignificant, so it had been concluded that applying INP to the diabetic patients with PAD improved their symptoms.
Keywords: Diabetes, Peripheral arterial disease, Negative pressure.
Title: The negative pressure effect on the lower limbs in patients with Peripheral arterial disease
Author: Osama S. Abbadi, Ayman M. Ahamed, Dalal S. Idris, Khalid H. Bakheit
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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