GRADUS Study: To Walk Longer and Faster – an Innovative Programme for Individuals with Peripheral Vascular Disease

GRADUS is a prospective, unfunded study approved by the ethics committee and carried out through collaboration between the Vascular Surgery Unit of the University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy) and the Centre for Exercise Science and Sport of the University of Ferrara (Ferrara, Italy). Since April 2021, a free SET programme using the Biocircuit system has been offered to patients with IC due to infrainguinal peripheral arterial disease attending a single vascular surgery outpatient clinic. The programme included aerobic training (warm up cycling followed by three treadmill sessions of ten minutes each) and resistance training (knee extension, leg press, and leg curl exercises) performed under physiotherapist supervision three times per week for 12 weeks.