Calf tissue oxygenation during exercise in men with and without risk factors for developing peripheral arterial disease.

Objective: This study aimed to compare calf tissue oxygenation responses to calf exercise in men without diagnosed peripheral arterial disease but with selected risk factors for peripheral arterial disease with those without risk factors.

Design: A cross-sectional quasi-experimental design was used. The no-risk group (n = 20) had none of the risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, current or 10 pack-yr smoking history, or age ≥65 yrs). The at-risk group (n = 45) had one to six risk factors. Medial calf tissue oxygenation (percentage saturation) was determined using near-infrared spectroscopy during seven consecutive 5-min test stages: rest, 0-W active plantar/dorsiflexion, rest, 4-W resistive plantar flexion, rest, 8-W resistive plantar flexion, and rest. Resistive exercise was performed on the Stresst'er calf ergometer.

Results: Compared with the no-risk group, decrements in calf tissue oxygenation induced by light-to-moderate resistive calf exercise in the at-risk group was significantly greater (by 9% saturation) (4-W: P < 0.001; 8-W: P = 0.002).

Conclusions: Men with risk factors for developing peripheral arterial disease but without such diagnosis demonstrated greater decrements in calf tissue oxygenation during calf exercise compared with men without risk factors. Further development of this test may lead to early diagnosis and intervention to modify risk factors and prevent co-morbidities.