Compression stockings have a synergistic effect with walking in the late afternoon to reduce edema of the lower limbs.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an association of elastic stockings and walking for a short period in the late afternoon reduces leg edema. METHODS: Volume changes of the legs of sixteen patients (32 limbs), who walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes using elastic compression stockings, were analyzed in a quantitative, cross-over randomized (in order of arrival at the clinic) study. They were submitted to volumetry using the water displacement technique and subsequently required to put on 20/30 made-to-measure compression stockings (Sigvaris). The patients walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes and after removing the stockings volumetry of the legs was again performed. Legs were assessed using the CEAP classification and divided into groups. Analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis with an alpha error of 5% being considered acceptable. RESULTS: When participants walked wearing compression stockings, there was a reduction in leg volume. When the CEAP classification was evaluated, it was noted that there was a statistically significant difference for the CEAP C0, C1 and C2 categories of legs using stockings compared to those that did not use. CONCLUSION: Compression stockings have a synergistic effect with walking in the late afternoon thus reducing edema of the lower limbs.

Lymphoscintigraphic findings: delayed oedema after great saphenous vein harvesting.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify lymphoscintigraphic changes associated with lower-extremity oedema after the harvesting of the saphenous vein using a series of short Q2 incisions for coronary bypass. METHOD: Forty-four patients (32 males and 12 females) with a mean age of 62.7 ± 7.8 (47-75 years old) were evaluated in a retrospective, quantitative, cross-sectional study from June 2007 to January 2008, three to 188 months (mean: 46 months) after the surgical procedure. Assessment was by water displacement volumetry and lymphoscintigraphy of the lower limbs. Results expressed as means with standard deviations were compared employing the Student's t-test and the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to compare data expressed as frequencies. An alpha error of 5% was considered acceptable (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: The presence of dermal backflow, as identified by lymphoscintigraphy with an accumulation of radiotracer in the thoracic duct and popliteal lymph nodes was significantly greater on the operated side. CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between dermal backflow and delayed oedema.

Is the wearing of elastic stockings for half a day as effective as wearing them for the entire day?

Background There is good evidence for the use of compression for some clinical indications but little is known about dosimetry in compression. Objective The aim of this work was to evaluate whether or not the use of compression stockings during part of the day would help in the reduction of evening oedema in patients with clinical, epidemiological, anatomical and physiopathological (CEAP) classifications C0 and C1. Methods The effects of elastic compression stockings on volumetric variations during the working day were evaluated for the legs of two men and 18 women (40 legs). The inclusion criterion was classification as C0 (10 legs) or C1 (30 legs) according to the CEAP criteria. Participants used three-quarter-length elastic compression stockings (20-30 mmHg) on three consecutive days for the entire day or only for the morning or they did not use the stockings at all. Volumetry using the water displacement technique was performed in the morning and in the evening. When the patients wore the stockings only during the morning, volumetry was also performed at 13:00 h. Results Significant increases in volume were observed for both legs when stockings were not used compared with the use of stockings in the morning only. After removing the stockings, both legs had significant increases in volume in the afternoon. However, use for half the day was better than not using the stockings at all. Conclusions The use of elastic compression stockings can reduce volumetric variations during working hours, with the use of stockings for the entire day being better than for just half the day.

Rate of occupational leg swelling is greater in the morning than in the afternoon.

The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of occupational leg swelling depending on the time period of the working day. Volumetric variations of the legs of 70 hospital employees, enrolled in three groups, were evaluated. Group I: 35 morning shift workers; Group II: 35 afternoon shift workers; and Group III: 15 individuals randomly selected from Groups I and II, who were evaluated on the day they worked 12 hours consecutively. Volumetry was performed before and after each shift for both legs of the participants in Groups I and II. For Group III volumetry was performed early in the morning, at noon and in the evening. For statistical analysis, the Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used with an alpha error of 5% being considered acceptable (P value<0.05). Significant increases in volume were recorded for the limbs in all three groups (P value<0.001). On comparing Groups I and II, the accumulation of fluids was significantly higher in the morning than in the afternoon (P value<0.003). Asymptomatic workers may present with oedema of the legs during their work with the rate of oedema being different for morning and afternoon shifts. The possibility of wearing compression stockings should be considered for this type of work.

Embolia arterial de membros inferiores: estudo dos fatores relacionados à morbidade e à mortalidade operatórias / Arterial embolism of the lower limbs: a study of factors related to operative morbidity and mortality

A embolia arterial periférica é uma doença frequente entre as urgências vasculares e apresenta índices de morbidade e de mortalidade elevados. Setenta e dois doentes que foram submetidos à embolectomia arterial de membros inferiores são analisados retrospectivamente, com o objetivo de estudar, pela análise multivariada, a influência de diferentes fatores na morbidade e na mortalidade do procedimento operatório. A mortalidade opertória da série foi de 25 'por cento', sendo 44,4 'por cento', de origem cardíaca. A análise estatística foi realizada pela análise multivariada (MULTLR). A rabdomiólise, a exploração da artéria poplítea e a aterosclerose periférica foram os fatores de risco para a amputação. Além da exploração da artéria poplítea e da aterosclerose periférica, a impotência funcional à admissão e a doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica foram os fatores de risco para complicaçöes sistêmicas. A análise da mortalidade identificou como fatores de risco a complicação pulmonar, a síndrome de revascularização tardia e o infarto do miocárdio.

Factors related to mortality in inferior vena cava injuries. A 5 year experience.

Forty-nine patients sustaining Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) injuries, during a 5 year period were retrospectively analyzed in order to assess those factors related to early deaths. Mean age was 32 and 45 were male. GSW was the most frequent mechanism of injury (59.2%), followed by SW (28.6%) and blunt trauma (12.2%). There were 4 injuries in the supra diaphragmatic IVC, 14 retrohepatic, 16 suprarenal and the remaining 15 were in the infrarenal portion of the IVC. Twenty patients were in shock and 8 were unstable on admission. The liver was the most frequently injured organ in association with IVC and there were also 7 concomitant abdominal vascular injuries. Venorrhaphy was performed in 28 patients, IVC ligature in 5, intracaval shunt in 3 and in the remaining 13, only temporary hemostasis was attempted. Mortality rate was 100% in supra diaphragmatic injuries, 71.4% in retrohepatic, 68.8% in suprarenal and 33% in infrarenal injuries. There was a significant difference when comparing mortality rate in stable against shock or unstable patients on admission (p < 0.001), as well as in those with diaphragmatic IVC injuries compared with all other injury sites together (p < 0.05). Hemodynamic instability on admission was the most important cause of early deaths, and all patients with concomitant abdominal vascular injuries also died.

Traumatismo de veia cava inferior: análise de 36 casos / Inferior vena cava trauma: analysis of 36 cases

Os autores analisaram 36 casos de traumatismos de veia cava inferior (VCI), a fim de avaliar as formas de tratamento empregadas, bem como os principais aspectos relacionados às altas taxas de morbidade e mortalidade freqüentemente encontradas nesse tipo de lesäo. Os projéteis de arma de fogo foram os agentes lesivos mais comuns, e 55// dos doentes tinham algum grau de instabilidade circulatória à admissäo. A porçäo retro-hepática foi a mais freqüentemente atingida e o fígado, o órgäo mais lesado em associaçäo à lesäo venosa. Dos vinte doentes admitidos com instabilidade hemodinâmica, 17 morreram e, desses, a lesäo era na porçäo retro-hepática em nove e na porçäo supradiafragmática em três, confirmando que a localizaçäo da lesäo e a instabilidade circulatória à admissäo säo os dois fatores mais importantes com relaçäo ao prognóstico pós-operatório

[Inferior vena cava trauma: analysis of 36 cases]. / Traumatismo de veia cava inferior: análise de 36 casos.

The authors analysed 36 trauma patients with inferior vena cava injuries to evaluate different surgical approaches, as well as, important aspects related to morbidity and mortality. Gunshot wounds were the most frequent cause of inferior vena cava injuries and 55% of the patients had circulatory instability on admission. Retrohepatic inferior vena cava was frequently injured in association with liver injury. From those 20 unstable patients on admission, there were 17 deaths, and injury was in the retrohepatic portion of the inferior vena cava in 9, and in the supradiaphragmatic portion in 3. These data support the concept that site of injury and hemodynamic status on admission are the principal factors related to morbidity and mortality in inferior vena cava injuries.