title: Brief report: graduated compression stocking thromboprophylaxis for elderly inpatients: a propensity analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Graduated compression stockings (GCS) are often used for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in nonsurgical patients, although evidence on their effectiveness is lacking in this setting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether prophylaxis with GCS is associated with a decrease in the rate of deep vein thrombosis in nonsurgical elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using original data from 2 multicenter nonrandomized studies, we performed multivariable and propensity score analyses to determine whether prophylaxis with GCS reduced the rate of deep vein thrombosis among 1,310 postacute care patients 65 years or older. The primary outcome was proximal deep vein thrombosis detected by routine compression ultrasonography performed by registered vascular physicians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proximal deep vein thrombosis was found in 5.7% (21/371) of the GCS users and in 5.2% (49/939) of the GCS nonusers (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.84). Although adjusting for propensity score eliminated all differences in baseline characteristics between users and nonusers, the OR for proximal deep vein thrombosis associated with GCS remained nonsignificant in propensity-stratified (adjusted OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.59-2.10) and propensity-matched (conditional OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.42-2.02) analysis. Similar figures were observed for distal and any deep vein thrombosis. The rates of deep vein thrombosis did not differ according to the length of stockings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prophylaxis with GCS is not associated with a lower rate of deep vein thrombosis in nonsurgical elderly patients in routine practice. Randomized studies are needed to assess the efficacy of GCS when properly used in this setting.
authors.affiliation: ThEMAS TIMC-IMAG UMR CNRS 5525 UJF, Grenoble, France. JLabarere@chu-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Labarere
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bosson
authors.forename: Marie-Antoinette
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sevestre
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dupas
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Thenault
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Legagneux
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boge
authors.forename: Béatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Terriat
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pernod
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D053828:Stockings, Compression / Q000592:standards*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*