Facing the challenges of peripheral arterial disease in the era of emerging technologies

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a significant worldwide health burden, yet it remains woefully underdiagnosed and undertreated. By the time PAD manifests symptomatically, patients may already suffer from critical limb ischemia and require invasive surgical intervention. This can be attributed in part to the heterogeneity of PAD pathogenesis as well as shortcomings in current clinical assessment techniques and standards of care. To address these challenges, clinicians need new approaches to prevent, identify, and treat patients at risk for PAD. In this article, we present three clinical cases that exemplify different needs faced by patients with PAD and their providers. These include the need for improved methods of disease detection, more efficient long-term care, and less invasive treatment strategies. The case studies drive our subsequent review and discussion of key areas of translational research that may address each of these needs. The primary objective of this review is to evaluate the current limitations of clinical practice and survey the landscape of emerging research that will hopefully allow clinicians in the near future to better identify and treat patients with PAD. This research encompasses both technological advances in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, as well as the development of new strategies for optimizing patient management and care delivery. When combined, these different areas of research will address some of the most pressing challenges posed by PAD and will help usher in a new era of holistic, patient-centric care.