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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
05:51
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (Cf-PWV) to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
THE ASSOCIATION OF ARTERIAL STIFFNESS WITH THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS IN PATIENTS WITH PERIPHERAL
Delfin Rodriguez Leyva1,2, Ayelen Rodriguez Portelles3, Randolph Guzman4
1St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
|August 4, 2026
Summary
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients frequently experience cardiac arrhythmias at rest. Older age, coronary artery disease (CAD), and arterial stiffness are key predictors of these arrhythmias in PAD.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Medicine
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common condition associated with significant cardiovascular risk.
- Cardiac arrhythmias are a potential complication, but their incidence and relationship with vascular abnormalities in PAD require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence and types of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with PAD.
- To explore the relationship between arrhythmias and vascular abnormalities in PAD.
- To identify predictors of arrhythmias in PAD patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 110 patients with PAD.
- Cardiac arrhythmias were monitored, and electrocardiographic parameters (PR, QRS, QTc intervals) were analyzed.
- Vascular abnormalities were assessed using ankle-brachial index (ABI) and pulse wave analysis (PWA) to measure arterial stiffness.
- A comparison group of 111 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) but without PAD was included.
Main Results:
- Cardiac arrhythmias were detected in 37% of PAD patients, predominantly premature ventricular and supraventricular contractions, often occurring at rest.
- Patients with arrhythmias exhibited significantly longer PR segment duration, QRS complex duration, and QTc interval.
- While claudication distances were greater in those with arrhythmias, ABI values did not differ.
- Arrhythmia incidence in the CAD-only group was 29%.
- Predictors for arrhythmias in PAD included age (>60 years), concomitant CAD, and higher augmentation index values from PWA, indicating greater arterial stiffness.
Conclusions:
- Patients with PAD exhibit a high prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly at rest.
- Factors such as older age, co-existing CAD, and increased arterial stiffness are associated with a higher risk of arrhythmias in PAD.
- Pulse wave analysis (PWA) may serve as a valuable, non-invasive tool for risk stratification of arrhythmias in PAD patients.
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