Q. If I have blood clots in my legs can I still have an ABI done?
A. If you have a note from your physician stating that you have no clots in your legs currently, then we can do the study. Otherwise, we cannot.
Q. If I have had a mastectomy can I have an ABI done?
A. Yes. We take the pressure in the other arm and use that to formulate a ratio. When a person has had breast surgery, they may have had lymph nodes under the arm removed as well. Compression of the lymph system of the arm can lead to painful swelling for a long time.
Q. What does it mean if the arteries do not compress?
A. This is most commonly seen in diabetics. However, it may happen in others. Non-compressibility is due to vascular disease of the walls of the vessels. Therefore, the patient receives an abnormal reading.
Q. If I already know that I have coronary artery (heart) disease, should I still have the ABI study?
A. Yes. This is a very good reason to have the test done. The correlation between coronary arteries goes both ways. People who have an abnormal ABI are 3-5 times more likely to have coronary artery disease. People who have heart disease are at higher risk for peripheral artery disease as well.
Q. Does a lower ratio (.32) mean more severe peripheral artery disease than a higher (.75) abnormal ratio?
A. Yes. The lower the ratio the more severe the peripheral arterial disease.
Q. Does the ABI test detect problems with venous disease (deep venous thrombosis, phlebitis, varicose veins)?
A. No. The ABI test is for peripheral artery disease only. We do not do venous testing.
