John Houghton

I am an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Vascular Surgery with an interest in peripheral artery disease. I also work as a Vascular Surgery Specialist Trainee on the East Midlands rotation - currently at Glenfield Hospital.

I focus on clinical research in people with peripheral artery disease - especially chronic limb threatening ischaemia, the end stage of the disease. I have a particular interest in the management of older people with peripheral artery disease and the impact and overlap with frailty and cognitive impairment.

• Leg Ischaemia Management collaboration (LIMb) study (NCT04027244)
• Cognitive Impairment and Cerebral Haemodynamics in individuals with symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease (CInCH PAD) (NCT06369402)
• Core Outcome Sets in Peripheral Artery Disease (COS-PAD) (COMET registrations: 1590; 2650)
• Perioperative medicine for Older People undergoing Surgery Scale Up (POPS-SUp)

• Houghton JSM, Meffen A, Gray LJ, Payne TJ, Haunton VJ, Davies RSM, Sayers RD; Leg Ischaemia Management Collaboration. Streamlined Clinical Management Pathways May Reduce Major Amputations in Patients with Chronic Limb Threatening Ischaemia: A Prospective Cohort Study with Historical Controls. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2024 Sep 10:S1078-5884(24)00797-4.
• Shwan A, Lamidi S, Chan C, Daniels E, Song-Smith C, Hanna L, Sounderajah V, Houghton JSM, Sayers RD. Reported outcomes in studies of intermittent claudication - first step toward a core outcome set: systematic review. BJS Open. 2024 Oct 29;8(6):zrae126.
• Houghton JSM, Essop-Adam A, Nduwayo S, Nickinson ATO, Black I, Bryant N, Meffen A, Gray LJ, Conroy SP, Payne TJ, Rayt HS, Sayers RD, Haunton VJ. Single-centre prospective cohort study investigating the associations and one-year trends of frailty, cognition, disability and quality of life pre- and post-intervention for chronic limb-threatening ischaemia. J Vasc Soc GB Irel. 2024; 3(3):131-139.
• Houghton JSM, Saratzis AN, Sayers RD, Haunton VJ. New Horizons in Peripheral Artery Disease. Age Ageing. 2024 Jun 1;53(6):afae114
• Essop-Adam A, Daynes E, Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Sayers RDS, Haunton VJ, Pepper C, Singh SJ. Clinimetrics of performance-based functional outcome measures for vascular amputees: A systematic review. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2023 Jun 3;66(6):101756
• Perks J, Zaccardi F, Paterson C, Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Pepper CJ, Rayt H, Yates T, Sayers R. Effect of high-pain versus low-pain structured exercise on walking ability in people with intermittent claudication: meta-analysis. Br J Surg. 2022 Jul 15;109(8):686-694.
• Meffen A, Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Pepper CJ, Sayers RD, Gray LJ. Understanding variations in reported epidemiology of major lower extremity amputation in the UK: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2021 Oct 6;11(10):e053599.
• Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Helm JR, Dimitrova J, Dubkova S, Rayt HS, Gray LJ, Haunton VJ, Davies RSM, Sayers RD. Associations of Clinical Frailty with Severity of Limb Threat and Outcomes in Chronic Limb-threatening Ischaemia. Ann Vasc Surg. 2021 Oct;76:406-416.
• Nickinson ATO, Dimitrova J, Houghton JSM, Rate L, Dubkova S, Lines H, Gray LJ, Nduwayo S, Payne TJ, Sayers RD, Davies RSM. Does the Introduction of a Vascular Limb Salvage Service Improve One Year Amputation Outcomes for Patients with Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischaemia? Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;61(4):612-619.
• Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Bridgwood B, Nduwayo S, Pepper CJ, Rayt HS, Gray LJ, Haunton VJ, Sayers RD. Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment in Individuals with Vascular Surgical Pathology: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2021 Apr;61(4):664-674.
• Houghton JSM, Nickinson ATO, Morton AJ, Nduwayo S, Pepper CJ, Rayt HS, Gray LJ, Conroy SP, Haunton VJ, Sayers RD. Frailty Factors and Outcomes in Vascular Surgery Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Surg. 2020 Aug;272(2):266-276.

• Cardiovascular Sciences module; BSc Biological Sciences (BS3056)

I have expertise in:

Peripheral artery disease; chronic limb-threatening ischaemia; amputation prevention; diabetic foot disease; vascular surgery; frailty; surgery in older people.

Society membership:

• Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Trainee member of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Trainee member of the European Society for Vascular Surgery

National roles:

• Co-opted member of the NHS England Vascular Clinical Reference Group (2019 - 2021)
• Rouleaux Club (UK Vascular Surgery Trainee society) Committee member (2024 - present)
• Trainee (Rouleaux Club) representative of the Vascular Specialist Advisory Committee (2024 - present)

• Sol Cohen Founder's Prize 2023 (Vascular Society of Great Britain & Ireland)

• BSc Cancer Biology & Immunology; University of Bristol (2008)
• MBChB; University of Bristol (2011)
• MRCS; Royal College of Surgeons of England (2014)
• MD Cardiovascular Sciences; University of Leicester (2022)