Supervised In-Person versus Home-Based Exercise in Peripheral Artery Disease: A Pilot Comparative Study.

Adherence to the exercise program was substantially higher in the in-person group compared to the home-based group.

• In-person group adherence was 91.7% versus 41% in the home-based group.
• Both groups were assigned an 8-week aerobic and resistance-training program consisting of 3 60-minute sessions per week.
• The in-person group had n=8 participants and the home-based group had n=7 participants.
• Participants were mostly men (60%) with multiple comorbidities.

The in-person group showed a significant improvement in six-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, while the home-based group did not.

• The in-person group improved 6MWT distance by +51 meters (P < 0.05).
• The home-based group showed no significant functional changes in 6MWT.
• The 6MWT was used as a measure of physical function.
• No baseline differences in 6MWT were observed between groups.

The in-person group demonstrated significant improvements in lower-limb strength and endurance as measured by the 1-minute Sit-to-Stand Test (1-min STST).

• Improvement in 1-min STST was statistically significant (P < 0.05) for the in-person group.
• The home-based group showed no significant changes in 1-min STST.
• The 1-min STST was used as the primary measure of lower-limb strength and endurance.
• No baseline differences in 1-min STST were observed between groups.

Vascular function as measured by pulse volume recording (PVR 2CP) improved in the in-person group but not in the home-based group.

• The in-person group showed significant improvements in PVR values.
• The home-based group showed no significant changes in vascular function.
• PVR 2CP was used as the measure of vascular function.
• Hemodynamic measures remained stable across both groups overall.

Pain-free walking improved in both groups, with greater gains observed in the in-person modality.

• Both the in-person and home-based groups showed improvement in pain-free walking distance.
• Greater gains in pain-free walking were observed in the in-person group.
• Pain-free walking is a clinically relevant outcome for individuals with intermittent claudication due to PAD.
• The study population included adults under 65 years of age with confirmed PAD diagnosis.

Medication adherence and quality of life outcomes showed no significant group differences over the 8-week program.

• Medication adherence was assessed using the Morisky-Green scale and remained unchanged in both groups.
• Quality of life was assessed using EQ-5D VAS and showed only slight improvement in both groups.
• No significant between-group differences in quality of life were reported.
• Physical activity was assessed using the IPAQ questionnaire.

Physiological responses during the 6MWT displayed expected exercise-related patterns without significant differences between groups.

• Muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) was assessed during the 6MWT.
• Exercise-related physiological response patterns were as expected in both groups.
• No group differences in physiological responses during the 6MWT were found.
• Body composition was also assessed but no significant between-group differences were reported.

This was a small pilot study with 15 participants assigned to either in-person or home-based exercise for PAD.

• Total sample size was 15 adults (in-person n=8, home-based n=7).
• Participants were adults under 65 years of age with PAD.
• The study was conducted in the authors' local context, limiting generalizability.
• The study is described as a pilot comparative study, indicating preliminary rather than definitive findings.
• No baseline differences between groups were observed across measured outcomes.