2) Medications
Doctors use drugs in peripheral vascular to control the underlying causes and improve perfusion.
Doctors prescribe medications for underlying causes, such as hypertension, diabetes, or vasculitis. Also, in dyslipidemia, doctors will prescribe lipid-lowering agents -such as statins- that reduce LDL cholesterol levels, which reduces the disease progression.
To control the symptoms and improve perfusion, doctors can prescribe some drugs, such as:
- Antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin and clopidogrel: These drugs prevent platelet aggregation and clot formation.
- Cilostazol (Pletal): This drug prevents platelet aggregation and causes vasodilation, which improves blood flow.
- Anticoagulants, such as heparin and warfarin: These drugs inhibit coagulation factors, which prevents clot formation and improves blood flow.
These drugs prevent clot formation but don’t remove existing clots. Thus, in cases of acute ischemia, doctors can use thrombolytic agents to remove existing embolus. These drugs should be used only in the hospital, by the doctor, and within 4:8 hours from the symptoms.
