Daily Step-based Exercise Using Fitness Monitors for Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity, following coronary artery disease and stroke. Symptoms of PAD include claudication, decreased exercise capacity, progressive functional impairment, and decreased quality of life. Structured exercise therapy is a cornerstone of treating symptomatic PAD. Guidelines recommend a symptom-based exercise program that uses claudication to moderate walking sessions. Home exercise programs have demonstrated efficacy in improving walking ability and quality of life for symptomatic PAD patients. In the general population and patients with certain chronic diseases, walking more than 5,000 steps a day has been associated with better health. The efficacy of walking more than 5,000 steps a day has not been well studied in symptomatic PAD patients. The EASY FIT Trial is a single-center prospective randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of a daily step-based exercise program (walking at least 5,000 steps a day) vs. a guideline-recommended symptom-based exercise program (walking 45 consecutive minutes for 3 to 5 days a week), on improving walking ability and quality of life in patients with symptomatic PAD. The study will enroll and randomize 40 patients with symptomatic PAD (20 to each exercise program).The results of this study have the potential to create an effective, safe, feasible, and sustainable exercise program that can help PAD patients have greater walking ability and better quality of life.