Peripheral Vascular Disease

Abstract

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a chronic condition caused by atheroma formation, resulting in reduced blood flow to the tissues. It presents in a wide spectrum of ways ranging from pain experienced on exercise (intermittent claudication), through pain at rest preventing sleep at night, to ulceration and gangrene (critical ischaemia). Patients with PVD also have increased risk of other cardiovascular disease and mortality, adding to the burden that this condition places on primary and secondary care.