Exercise improves the treatment of peripheral arterial disease in extremely old patients

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of supervised exercise on the walking abilities of patients with peripheral arterial disease(PAD) who are extremely old and in no condition to undergo surgical treatment. Methods Forty-four patients aged 78–92 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the control group or the exercise training group. After a 6-minite walking testing(6 MWT), cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET), and ankle-brachial index(ABI )measurements were performed, personalized exercise training plans were established for the exercise intervention group according to the CPET results. After three months of exercise training, the 6 MWT, CPET, and ABI measurements were repeated. Results Compared to the control group, the walking distance in the exercise group significantly increased by 78.27ms (p<0.05), and the claudication distance increased by 72.5ms. Similar results were also observed for other indicators, including the consumption of VO2peak, anaerobic threshold(AT), and metabolic equivalents(METs), which increased by 159.00 ml/min, 2.17 ml/kg. min -1 and 0.55, respectively. All results were statistically significant. Conclusion Personalized aerobic exercise training effectively improved walking ability and physical stamina in patients aged ≥ 75 years.