Lower limb peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the third most common clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis after ischemic heart disease and stroke [1]. It is associated with both significant functional impairment and increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE), major adverse limb events (MALE), and overall mortality [2,3]. According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 2013, the burden of PAD, defined as “ankle–brachial index” (ABI) ≤0.9 regardless of PAD symptoms, rose by 23.5% from 2000 to 2010, with greater increases in low and middle-income countries [1].
