Ankle-brachial index

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Risks

By Mayo Clinic staff

Heart-Healthy Living

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For most people, there are no physical risks involved in an ankle-brachial index test. You may feel some discomfort when the blood pressure cuffs inflate on your arm and ankle, but this discomfort is temporary and should stop when the air is released from the cuff.

If you have severe leg or arm pain, your doctor may not recommend an ankle-brachial index test. Instead of an ankle-brachial index test, your doctor may recommend a different imaging test of the arteries in your legs.

How you prepare Why it's done
References
  1. Grenon SM, et al. Ankle-brachial index for assessment of peripheral artery disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;361:e40.
  2. Ankle-brachial index. Vascular Disease Foundation. http://vasculardisease.org/peripheral-artery-disease/pad-diagnosis/ankle-brachial-index/. Accessed Sept. 18, 2012.
  3. AskMayoExpert. How are the results of ankle-brachial index testing classified at Mayo Clinic? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  4. Rooke TW, et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA focused update of the guideline for the management of patients with peripheral artery disease (updating the 2005 guideline): A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. Circulation. 2011;124:2020.
  5. Ankle Brachial Index Collaboration. Ankle brachial index combined with Framingham Risk Score to predict cardiovascular events and mortality: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008;300:197.
  6. Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Rochester, Minn. Aug. 24, 2012.
MY00074 Oct. 16, 2012

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