This article is part of the supplement: Selected articles from the XXV National Congress of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery

Open Access Research article

Ankle/brachial index to everyone

Giuseppe Giugliano1, Anna Sannino1, Linda Brevetti1, Cinzia Perrino1, Gabriele Giacomo Schiattarella1, Anna Franzone1, Federica Serino1, Marco Ferrone1, Fernando Scudiero1, Andreina Carbone1, Michele De Paulis1, Raffaele Izzo1, Bruno Amato2, Bruno Trimarco1 and Giovanni Esposito1*

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, “Federico II” University”, via Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

2 Department of General, Geriatric, Oncologic Surgery and Advanced Technologies, “Federico II” University”, via Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

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BMC Surgery 2012, 12(Suppl 1):S18 doi:10.1186/1471-2482-12-S1-S18

Published: 15 November 2012

Abstract

Background

In the last years significant attention has been paid in identifying markers of subclinical atherosclerosis or of increased cardiovascular risk.

Method

An abnormal ankle/brachial index (ABI) identifies patients affected by lower extremity peripheral arterial disease, and even more important, represents a powerful predictor of the development of future ischemic cardiovascular events.

Conclusions

In our opinion, ABI is a cardiovascular risk prediction tool with very desirable properties that might become a routine measurement in clinical practice.