The problem comes down to poor fitting stockings, and here’s what happens. To achieve optimum blood flow and prevent the development of DVT, it is critical that the stockings fit the patient’s leg properly. The research team compared the available sizes of anti-embolism stockings to volunteers’ leg sizes, analysing the sizing of 10 styles made by four brands. They found one brand had sizes that matched the legs of all their volunteers, while another had sizes that matched the legs of none.
The team concluded that some brands had fewer measurement which makes it difficult to guarantee the right amount of pressure or ‘dose’ of compression. Meanwhile, when using open-ended sizes, where there is no upper or lower limit on the leg size that can be fitted with a product, might make it appear they fit more patients’ legs, but those stockings are not delivering the correct level of compression.
Research team spokesperson Dr Macintyre said: “Stockings may not fit as many patients as has previously been assumed and clinical guidelines are clear that stockings that don’t fit well may compromise treatment and even worse, may cause serious harm.
“The big finding of this work is that some brands claim (via their size charts) to match most legs, but these are unlikely to deliver the correct pressure dose to all ‘matching’ legs.
“Meanwhile other brands, who are perhaps clearer about which legs their stockings will fit, nevertheless manufacture stockings that are the wrong sizes for many people’s legs, and in the worst case none of our volunteers would have fitted any of their products.”
To overcome these problems, Daylong compression hosiery can be made to measure. Made to measure hosiery is made to the size of your legs and feet, so that the compression can get to work in exactly the right places when you are wearing your compression stockings. They are available on prescription and can be made and delivered within 5 working days. They are then available for daily wear, to give you the maximum treatment for different conditions, including varicose veins, leg ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, phlebitis, and for after leg surgery. Time to pull their socks up: Medical stockings that have a damaging effect
Shockingly, some brands of medical stockings are failing to prevent some deep vein thrombosis (DVT) deaths in hospital. As if that was not bad enough, recent research has also been found that these anti-embolism stockings could even be compromising treatment and actually causing harm, potentially increasing the number of preventable deaths in UK hospitals.
The research – published in the July issue of the International Journal of Nursing Studies – found that anti-embolism stockings are commonly used to prevent the development of thrombosis in hospital patients who are bed-bound or unable to keep moving.
The problem comes down to poor fitting stockings, and here’s what happens. To achieve optimum blood flow and prevent the development of DVT, it is critical that the stockings fit the patient’s leg properly. The research team compared the available sizes of anti-embolism stockings to volunteers’ leg sizes, analysing the sizing of 10 styles made by four brands. They found one brand had sizes that matched the legs of all their volunteers, while another had sizes that matched the legs of none.
The team concluded that some brands had fewer measurement which makes it difficult to guarantee the right amount of pressure or ‘dose’ of compression. Meanwhile, when using open-ended sizes, where there is no upper or lower limit on the leg size that can be fitted with a product, might make it appear they fit more patients’ legs, but those stockings are not delivering the correct level of compression.
Research team spokesperson Dr Macintyre said: “Stockings may not fit as many patients as has previously been assumed and clinical guidelines are clear that stockings that don’t fit well may compromise treatment and even worse, may cause serious harm.
“The big finding of this work is that some brands claim (via their size charts) to match most legs, but these are unlikely to deliver the correct pressure dose to all ‘matching’ legs.
“Meanwhile other brands, who are perhaps clearer about which legs their stockings will fit, nevertheless manufacture stockings that are the wrong sizes for many people’s legs, and in the worst case none of our volunteers would have fitted any of their products.”
To overcome these problems, Daylong compression hosiery can be made to measure. Made to measure hosiery is made to the size of your legs and feet, so that the compression can get to work in exactly the right places when you are wearing your compression stockings. They are available on prescription and can be made and delivered within 5 working days. They are then available for daily wear, to give you the maximum treatment for different conditions, including varicose veins, leg ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, phlebitis, and for after leg surgery.
The problem comes down to poor fitting stockings, and here’s what happens. To achieve optimum blood flow and prevent the development of DVT, it is critical that the stockings fit the patient’s leg properly. The research team compared the available sizes of anti-embolism stockings to volunteers’ leg sizes, analysing the sizing of 10 styles made by four brands. They found one brand had sizes that matched the legs of all their volunteers, while another had sizes that matched the legs of none.
The team concluded that some brands had fewer measurement which makes it difficult to guarantee the right amount of pressure or ‘dose’ of compression. Meanwhile, when using open-ended sizes, where there is no upper or lower limit on the leg size that can be fitted with a product, might make it appear they fit more patients’ legs, but those stockings are not delivering the correct level of compression.
Research team spokesperson Dr Macintyre said: “Stockings may not fit as many patients as has previously been assumed and clinical guidelines are clear that stockings that don’t fit well may compromise treatment and even worse, may cause serious harm.
“The big finding of this work is that some brands claim (via their size charts) to match most legs, but these are unlikely to deliver the correct pressure dose to all ‘matching’ legs.
“Meanwhile other brands, who are perhaps clearer about which legs their stockings will fit, nevertheless manufacture stockings that are the wrong sizes for many people’s legs, and in the worst case none of our volunteers would have fitted any of their products.”
To overcome these problems, Daylong compression hosiery can be made to measure. Made to measure hosiery is made to the size of your legs and feet, so that the compression can get to work in exactly the right places when you are wearing your compression stockings. They are available on prescription and can be made and delivered within 5 working days. They are then available for daily wear, to give you the maximum treatment for different conditions, including varicose veins, leg ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, phlebitis, and for after leg surgery.