Prevention of pulmonary embolism by a foot sole pump.
We carried out a prospective, randomised study of 62 patients to determine the efficacy of a foot sole pump (the A-V Impulse System) for the prevention of pulmonary embolism (PE) after hip surgery. PE was assessed by pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy before and after operation. We defined a PE as any new scintigraphic defect which was larger than a bronchopulmonary segment. The incidence of PE was 55% in the control group and 21% in the treatment group. The foot sole pump significantly reduced the incidence of PE (p = 0.008) and we encountered no side-effects from its use.
Asano
H
H
Department of Orthopaedics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
Matsubara
M
M
Suzuki
K
K
Morita
S
S
Shinomiya
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011312:Pressure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow