Graded compression stockings in elective orthopaedic surgery
- 1 January 2000
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume
- Vol. 82 (1) , 116-118
- https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620x.82b1.9694
Abstract
We recruited 89 patients who had hip or knee replacements to assess the performance of below-knee graded compression stockings. The pressure gradients generated by the stockings were measured and all patients had venography of the ipsilateral leg. We found that 98% of stockings failed to produce the 'ideal' pressure gradient (+/- 20%) of 18, 14 and 8 mmHg from the ankle to the knee, while 54% produced a 'reversed gradient' on at least one occasion during the course of the study. The overall rate of deep-venous thrombosis was 16.7%. Stockings which produced reversed gradients were associated with a significantly higher incidence of deep-venous thrombosis (p = 0.026) than those with the correct gradient (25.6% v 6.1%). This suggests that the performance of graded compression stockings can be improved if reversed pressure gradients are detected and prevented.Keywords
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