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Quickfire Papers

British journal of surgery2015Vol. 102(Supplement_2), pp. 7–9

Maciej Juszczak, Patrick Lintott, R Sunthareswaran, Ashok Handa, Ediri Sideso, A Northeast, P Pedgaonkar, Sartajvir Singh, Veena Anand, VarinderSingh Bedi, RPS Gambhir

Abstract

The accuracy of claudication distance based on patient self-reported (SR) estimates is notoriously poor. Treadmill, corridor walking test (CWT), as well as tools utilising geolocation provide more accurate estimates, but are time and resource consuming. We postulate that Google Maps StreetView can be used for estimation of walking distance. The aim of this study was to assess accuracy and feasibility of this tool in assessment of claudication distance in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Twenty five patients with Rutherford stage 1-3 PAOD were selected for this study. Claudication distance was assessed by the same assessor to avoid inter-operator bias. Firefox web browser was used to connect to Google Maps service. Using StreetView mode, patients were asked to identify the landmark where they start walking, and the second landmark coinciding with the onset of claudication pain. These points were marked on the Google Maps and the distance (GM) measured in metres. Where available, retrospective results of CWT results were obtained for comparison. We found poor agreement between SR and GM distance (CCC = 0.5354), and a substantial agreement between GM distance and CWT (CCC = 0.979). Median time required for measurement of claudication distance using Google StreetView was 5 minutes and it positively correlated with patients' age (R = 0.6408, p = 0.0004) and negatively with claudication distance (R = -0.4925, p = 0.0124). Google Maps provides a free, readily available, intuitive interface allowing for rapid and accurate measurement of claudication distance and hence a more objective criterion for surgical intervention in PAOD.

Abstract

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