title: Development of a device to determine the stiffness of elastic garments and bandages.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the reliability of a newly developed stiffness-determining device, composed of a leg mannequin and air-pack type analyser, for measuring the interface pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  The correlation of stiffness values obtained employing the Hohenstein method and this new method was investigated using 17 different brands of medical elastic compression stocking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant correlation in stiffness values using the two methods was obtained (P < 0.01). When this new method was applied to the bandages, the stiffness was significantly correlated with the initial pressure when assessing both short-stretch and long-stretch bandages. On the comparison of stiffness values between elastic stockings and bandages with the same initial pressure, the short-stretch bandages showed a predominantly higher value than long-stretch bandages and stockings (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reliability of this new method, which can be easily applied to not only elastic stockings but also elastic bandages, was verified. In clinical practice, the compression pressure should be selected in consideration of the prospective stiffness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Tohkai Hospital., Nagoya, Japan. hiraimh@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niimi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kominami
mesh_terms: D058128:Compression Bandages; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011312:Pressure; D053828:Stockings, Compression