Oxygen Saturation in the Leg Musculature Affected by Peripheral Arterial Disease During Exercise on an Arm Ergometer

Oxygen Saturation in the Leg Musculature Affected by Peripheral Arterial Disease During Exercise on an Arm Ergometer

Studies with arm ergometer (AE) training have shown benefits in the functional capacity of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) bypassing the main barrier to exercise in these patients, pain during walking exercise. The only study that proposed to investigate the mechanism involved in this adaptation observed that chronically training with EB promoted improvement in the oxygen saturation (StO₂) of the leg muscles during walking. However, how arm exercise could improve leg muscle StO₂ remains unknown.

The goal of this study is to analyze what happens during AE on the tissue oxygen saturation (StO₂) of the leg affected by PAD.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. aged ≥ 50 years;
2. with PAD confirmed by clinical diagnosis and ankle-brachial index (ABI) < 0.90 in one or both limbs;
3. experiencing symptoms of intermittent claudication (IC) during walking;
4. with a body mass index (BMI) not exceeding 30 kg/m²;
5. with medical clearance to participate in the project;
6. presenting calf skinfold thickness less than 20 mm due to interference of adiposity with the light penetration of the NIRS probe and finger oxygen saturation > 95% to ensure that impaired pulmonary gas exchange does not affect the calf oxygen saturation measurements.