title: [The efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression in the prevention of venous thromboembolism in medical critically ill patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical critically ill patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted. One hundred and sixty-two medical critically ill patients were randomly assigned to IPC group and control group by random number table after admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) from June 2008 to June 2010. Patients under anticoagulation medicine therapy were excluded. Patients in the IPC group were treated with IPC to prevent VTE after ICU admission. No measures were taken to prevent VTE in the control group. The rate of VTE [deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)], duration of mechanical ventilation(MV), the length of stay in ICU, rate of non-sudden cardiac death and ICU mortality rate and related side-effects of IPC were compared during the subsequent 28 days between two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control group, IPC group was shown to have a significantly lower rate of DVT [3.80%(3/79) vs. 19.28%(16/83), P<0.01], lower rate of PE [0 (0/79) vs. 9.64%(8/83), P<0.01] and lower rate of non-sudden cardiac death [1.26%(1/79) vs. 7.23%(6/83), P<0.01]. Compared with control group, duration of MV (days: 8±6 vs. 9±8) and length of stay in ICU (days: 9±7 vs. 10±7) were shorter, and the ICU mortality rate of 28 days (24.05% vs. 31.32%) was lower in the IPC group, but they were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). No related side-effects were found in the IPC group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IPC can prevent VTE, and lower the rate of non-sudden cardiac death, and it is safe in medical critically ill patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Intensive Care Unit, Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zhangchuan0905@sina.com
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Bi-xia
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jin-chuan
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Xiao-yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuan-pu
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Li-dong
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiao-jin
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D048228:Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Devices; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000517:prevention & control