About Us: Awards

The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Coalition announced that Professor Andrew W. Bradbury is the recipient of the Coalition’s inaugural Best P.A.D. Research Award at the organization’s Fourth Annual Meeting. The Best P.A..D Research Awardees are selected from amongst all new P.A.D.-focused, peer-reviewed manuscripts that are published in each award year, with a review of candidate studies by eminent P.A.D. scientists reflecting diverse specialties. The Award honors the contributions of these physician scientists and other investigators in order to acknowledge the creation of new clinical research that is relevant to understanding the causes of, methods of diagnosis and treatments for peripheral arterial disease.

Andrew W. Bradbury is Professor of Vascular Surgery at the University of Birmingham , UK, and Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, the Premier Medical Centre in Knowle and the BUPA Parkway Hospital in Solihull, West Midlands.  Professor Bradbury and his colleagues were recognized for their work on the research study, Bypass versus angioplasty in severe ischaemia of the leg (BASIL): multicentre, randomised controlled trial, published in The Lancet (Lancet 2005; 366: 1925–34).

The BASIL study compares the outcomes of patients with critical leg ischemia (severe P.A.D.) undergoing bypass surgery versus angioplasty. Surgical bypass has long been considered the treatment of choice for limb-threatening P.A.D. This study provides strong evidence that endovascular therapies, a less expensive treatment option, may be associated with better patient outcomes.

Peripheral arterial disease occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs. This can result in leg muscle pain when walking, disability, amputation and a poor quality of life. Blocked arteries found in people with P.A.D. can be a warning sign that other arteries, including those in the heart and brain, may also be blocked - increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Critical Limb Ischemia or CLI is a severe obstruction of the arteries which seriously decreases blood flow to the extremities. Prompt medical care is indicated in all patients with CLI to immediately improve blood flow and prevent amputation.

“On behalf of the P.A.D. Coalition, we are delighted to present this prestigious award to Professor Andrew Bradbury,” said Timothy Murphy, M.D., professor of diagnostic imaging at Brown University in Providence, RI. “This well-designed study found that catheter-based revascularization methods offer similar outcomes to bypass surgery for patients with critical limb ischemia, with lower cost. This type of randomized clinical trial data is of critical importance to advancing the public health, and Drs. Bradbury and his colleagues are to be commended for performing this important work.”

The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Coalition is an alliance of leading health organizations, vascular health professional societies, and government agencies united to raise public and health professional awareness about lower extremity P.A.D. The Coalition is working with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on a national campaign, “Stay in Circulation: Take Steps to Learn about PAD” (www.aboutpad.org). Established in 2004, the P.A.D. Coalition is a program of the Vascular Disease Foundation (www.vdf.org), a national, not-for-profit section 501(c)(3) organization.

The P.A.D. Coalition is supported by the following national sponsors: the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership; Cordis Endovascular, a division of Cordis Corporation; Bard Peripheral Vascular; BioMedix; Cook, Inc; Edwards Lifesciences; W.L. Gore & Associates; Medtronic; Omron; and Summit Doppler.