CARDIOVASCULAR AND PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASES

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Abstract
It has long been known that improvement in peripheral blood circulation and cardiac efficiency can be obtained by certain postural changes, utilizing the effects of gravity to facilitate improved blood flow and tissue fluid exchange. This has been accomplished by elevation of the extremities, changing the position of the trunk and the application of elastic pressure over the more distant portions of the circulatory tree. The means adopted to accomplish these ends have included attachments to the ordinary hospital bed, specially designed chairs or mechanical arrangements in which centrifugal force can be used and, in addition, certain negative and positive air pressure machines. My interest in the problems of peripheral edema dates back several years. I observed that elderly patients with fractures of the lower extremities necessitating immobilization for several months developed edema that persisted for unduly long periods of time. Following the institution of postural changes in these cases, wherein

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