Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar 19:3:2050312115575938.
doi: 10.1177/2050312115575938. eCollection 2015.

Effect of exercise training on clot strength in patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication: An ancillary study

Karin Mauer  1 , J Emilio Exaire  2 , Julie A Stoner  3 , Jorge F Saucedo  4 , Polly S Montgomery  1 , Andrew W Gardner  5
Affiliations

Effect of exercise training on clot strength in patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication: An ancillary study

Karin Mauer et al. SAGE Open Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: Patients with peripheral artery disease have walking impairment, greater thrombotic risk, and are often treated with exercise training. We sought to determine the effect of a 3-month-long exercise program on clot strength among patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication.

Methods: Twenty-three symptomatic peripheral artery disease patients were randomly assigned to a walking exercise program or to an attention control group who performed light resistance exercise. We investigated the effect of exercise training on clot strength and time to clot formation was assessed by thromboelastography.

Results: After 3 months of exercise, clot strength (maximal amplitude) and time to clot formation (R) did not change significantly from baseline, even after improvements in claudication onset time (p < 0.01) and peak walking time (p < 0.05). Furthermore, changes in clot formation parameters were not significantly different between groups. Among the 10 individuals demonstrating a reduction in clot strength (reduced maximal amplitude), one was a smoker (10%) compared to 9 of 13 non-responders (69%) whose maximal amplitude was unchanged or increased (p = 0.0097).

Conclusion: In this ancillary study, a 12-week walking program improved ambulatory function in peripheral artery disease patients with claudication, but does not modify clot strength or time to clot formation. Larger studies are needed to confirm these hypothesis generating findings and to determine whether a different amount or type of exercise may induce a change in clotting in this patient population.

Keywords: Peripheral artery disease; clot strength; exercise training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest in preparing this article.

References

    1. Rosamond W, Flegal K, Furie K, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2008 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation 2008; 117: e25–e146. - PubMed
    1. McDermott MM. The magnitude of the problem of peripheral arterial disease: epidemiology and clinical significance. Cleve Clin J Med 2006; 73(Suppl. 4): S2–S7. - PubMed
    1. McDermott MM, Liu K, Guralnik JM, et al. Home-based walking exercise intervention in peripheral artery disease: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2013; 310: 57–65. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gardner AW, Parker DE, Montgomery PS, et al. Efficacy of quantified home-based exercise and supervised exercise in patients with intermittent claudication: a randomized controlled trial. Circulation 2011; 123: 491–498. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reininger CB, Graf J, Reininger AJ, et al. Increased platelet and coagulatory activity indicate ongoing thrombogenesis in peripheral arterial disease. Thromb Res 1996; 82: 523–532. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources