Could ramipril improve walking distance in peripheral arterial disease?
A small, but apparently well conducted double-blind, controlled clinical trial found that addition of ramipril to treatment significantly improved walking distance in a closely defined group of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The authors note that ACE-inhibitors improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic disease, including PAD, and that there is evidence that the mechanism may not be due entirely to the effect on blood pressure. They hypothesised that ACE-inhibitors might also have a beneficial effect on PAD, for which there are few effective medical interventions. The trial involved 40 patients (of 152 screened) with infra-inguinal PAD stable for at least six months: exclusion criteria included diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, previous ACE-inhibitor treatment, and limiting coronary artery disease. Patients were randomised to treatment with ramipril or placebo for six months; outcomes were pain-free walking time and maximum walking time as d
A small, but apparently well conducted double-blind, controlled clinical trial found that addition of ramipril to treatment significantly improved walking distance in a closely defined group of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The authors note that ACE-inhibitors improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic disease, including PAD, and that there is evidence that the mechanism may not be due entirely to the effect on blood pressure. They hypothesised that ACE-inhibitors might also have a beneficial effect on PAD, for which there are few effective medical interventions. The trial involved 40 patients (of 152 screened) with infra-inguinal PAD stable for at least six months: exclusion criteria included diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, previous ACE-inhibitor treatment, and limiting coronary artery disease. Patients were randomised to treatment with ramipril or placebo for six months; outcomes were pain-free walking time and maximum walking time as d
