Technology-enabled resistance exercise interventions in patients with peripheral artery disease:investigation of the feasibility and short-term clinical effectiveness

Supervised exercise training has been incorporated into current guidelines as first line treatment for intermittent claudication (IC). However, less than 10 % of IC patients are enrolled in an exercise program and compliance is poor. E-health technology allows supervised exercise in the home-environment. However, the benefits of a telerehabilitation program remain unproven. Our aim is to develop a complex home-based E-exercise program and to investigate its feasibility, acceptability and usability by means of a feasibility study. Following this, a randomized controlled pilot trial will be performed in 45 IC patients to evaluate the superiority of a combined exercise program with telemonitoring compared to standard walking programs on functional capacity following an 18 week intervention. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, cardiovascular risk factors, endothelial function and muscle oxygenation. Results from these studies will allow the design of a future full-scale phase III study.