atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
of the lower extremities, when associated with
intermittent claudication, results in a moderate-
to-severe impairment in walking ability. Patients
with PAD are unable to walk more than a short
distance on level ground and have a severely limited
peak exercise capacity during graded treadmill
exercisel-4 in a range that allows for only very light to
light activities.5 As a result, the energy requirements of
many leisure- and work-related tasks exceed the peak
exercise capacity of these patients.