Far Red Light to Improve Functioning in PAD: The LIGHT PAD Trial
The LIGHT PAD Trial is a Phase II multi-centered randomized clinical trial to collect preliminary data to test whether daily far red light treatment of the lower extremities in people with PAD improves six-minute walk distance, lower extremity perfusion, and ischemia-related damage in gastrocnemius muscle at four-month follow-up, compared to a sham control. Participants will complete 10 minutes of twice daily home treatment with either far red light or a sham light for four months.
⁃ First, all participants will be age 50 and older. Second, all participants will have PAD. PAD will be defined as:
• An ABI \<= 0.90 at baseline.
• Vascular lab evidence of PAD (such as a toe brachial pressure =\< 0.70 or an ankle brachial index less than or equal to 0.90), or angiographic evidence of PAD defined as at least 70% stenosis of an artery supplying the lower extremities.
• An ABI of \>0.90 and \<= 1.00 who experience a 20% or greater drop in ABI in either leg after the heel-rise test.