Arm-crank Exercise Training on Cardiovascular Function of Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease

Arm-crank exercise (ACT) is an alternative exercise strategy for patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) due the benefits on functional capacity and quality of life, besides provoking less or no pain symptoms during the execution. This study sought to describe the protocol of a study that will analyse the effect of ACT exercise on walking capacity, cardiovascular function, cognition and quality of life in patients with symptomatic PAD. This is a three-armed randomized, prospective, single-blind data collection, single-center, controlled study enrolling 45 patients with symptomatic PAD which will be randomized into 3 intervention groups: walking training (WT), ACT (WT and AC: 15 to 10 sets of 2 to 5 minutes, Borg 13 to 15) and control group (CG). Before and after 12 weeks of intervention, cardiovascular function (ambulatory blood pressure , clinic blood pressure, central blood pressure, heart rate variability, arterial stiffness, vascular function), functional capacity (six-minute walking test, 2 minute step test \[2 MST\], Walking impairment questionnaire \[WIQ\], Walking estimated limitation calculated by history \[WELCH\], Baltimore activity scale for intermittent claudication, handgrip test and short physical performance battery \[SPPB\]), cognition (executive function and memory) and quality of life (short version of world health organization quality of life and vascular quality of life questionnaire \[VASCUQOL-6\]) will be assessed. This is the first trial to evaluate the effects of ACT on regulatory mechanisms of cardiovascular system in PAD patients. If the results are as expected, they will provide evidence of ACT in promoting cardiovascular benefits in symptomatic PAD population.