Terry, I agree with you. In the labs that I work with, in their arterial algorithm for studies, we include exercise with all normal ABI's. If the patient presents with positive symtoms, such as claudication, atypical leg pain, buttock pain,etc. and they are found to have normal ABI's, they are exercised, either by treadmill, or toe up exercises and almost always have decreased ABI's after minimal exercise. The cardiologists are especially interested in these findings in light of the recent papers suggesting that ABI is an excellent marker for atherosclerosis. Normal ABI's can be a misleading finding; we see it frequently with Diabetics too. K

Kathleen Palmieri, RVT
Senior Consultant
Cardiovascular Technology Resources
Skaneateles, NY 13152
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