The questions answered in this podcast are listed below.
They were compiled by GPs and health professionals around Australia.

1. Tell us exactly what we’re talking about when we say peripheral artery?
2. What about the incidence of peripheral arterial disease? Is it improving because less people are smoking or are you seeing no change in the incidents?
3. How do these diseases present to general practitioners?
4. How do mesenteric arteries and renal arteries present?
5. If a patient developed small bowel infarction what is the mortality rate?
6. What could help GPs lower the threshold and increase index of suspicion?
7. How bad do your kidneys need to be before you start developing peripheral artery disease?
8. What about the presence of some very significant proteinuria?
9. Would you rate carotids as a peripheral arterial disease?
10. How hard should GPs look for other vascular disease in a patient who either has peripheral arterial disease or coronary arterial disease or cerebral vascular disease?
11. What are the red flags?
12. Case: A patient with significant peripheral arterial disease who is being managed by a cardiologist and is stable enough for medical treatment, with no immediate need for surgical intervention. What lies ahead for these patients, apart from managing their cardiovascular risk factors?
13. What are the chances that they recur?
14. How many times can you redo small arteries?
15. When discussing medical treatment, are you referring to the full range of polypharmacy, including medications for hypertension (antihypertensives), cholesterol management (statins), and blood clot prevention (antiplatelet drugs like aspirin)? And if so, are some medications more effective than others in these cases?
16. Are there any special considerations for GPs when managing patients who are on both a DOAC and an antiplatelet agent, or those on triple therapy?

Expert: Dr Shannon Thomas, Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon

Host: Dr David Lim, GP and Medical Educator

Total time: 39 mins