Surgical stockings do not aid stroke patients recovery
Treating stroke patients with surgical stockings during their recovery does not reduce the risk of blood clots, researchers have discovered.
A study funded partly by the Medical Research Council has found the compression stockings have no effect in preventing deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) – a life-threatening form of blood clot that can travel up into the heart or lungs – in stroke patients.
It is estimated that cutting the use of stockings in stroke units could save the NHS around £7 million and 320,000 hours of nursing time each year.
It was previously thought the tight stockings helped to increase blood flow through the legs and reduce the formation of clots. Around two thirds of stroke patients are unable to walk on admission to hospital and approximately 15 per cent of all admissions develop blood clots because of this lack of movement.
The University of Edinburgh research team studied over 2500 stroke patients in the UK, Italy and Australia. All were treated with routine care – including aspirin and assisted exercise – and half were offered surgical stockings as well.
After 30 days, there was no significant difference between the groups in the occurrence of DVT and the patients using stockings suffered more skin breaks, ulcers and blisters than those without.
Compression stockings are still recommended for patients who have undergone surgery and for people travelling on long-haul flights.
The results were presented at the European Stroke Congress in Stockholm on 27 May and have been published in The Lancet.
Martin Dennis, Professor of Stroke Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Until now, the guidelines on the use of these stockings have been based on evidence collected in surgical patients and not in stroke patients.
“We have shown conclusively that compression stockings do not work for stroke patients. The national guidelines need to be revised and we need further research to establish effective treatments for these patients. Abandoning this ineffective and sometimes uncomfortable treatment will free up valuable resources in our health services.”
The CLOTS (Clots in Legs or Stockings after Stroke) trials have tested thigh-length (CLOTS Trial 1) and below knee stockings (CLOTS trial 2) and are currently testing intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) where inflatable air sacs are used to squeeze the legs to improve blood flow (CLOTS Trial 3).
The CLOTS trials are funded by the Medical Research Council, Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office and the UK Stroke Research Network.
Press contact: 020 7670 5139
stephen.pogonowski@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
