Dogmas and controversies in compression therapy: report of an International Compression Club (ICC) meeting, Brussels, May 2011.
The International Compression Club (ICC) is a partnership between academics, clinicians and industry focused upon understanding the role of compression in the management of different clinical conditions. The ICC meet regularly and from these meetings have produced a series of eight consensus publications upon topics ranging from evidence-based compression to compression trials for arm lymphoedema. All of the current consensus documents can be accessed on the ICC website (http://www.icc-compressionclub.com/index.php). In May 2011, the ICC met in Brussels during the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) annual conference. With almost 50 members in attendance, the day-long ICC meeting challenged a series of dogmas and myths that exist when considering compression therapies. In preparation for a discussion on beliefs surrounding compression, a forum was established on the ICC website where presenters were able to display a summary of their thoughts upon each dogma to be discussed during the meeting. Members of the ICC could then provide comments on each topic thereby widening the discussion to the entire membership of the ICC rather than simply those who were attending the EWMA conference. This article presents an extended report of the issues that were discussed, with each dogma covered in a separate section. The ICC discussed 12 'dogmas' with areas 1 through 7 dedicated to materials and application techniques used to apply compression with the remaining topics (8 through 12) related to the indications for using compression.
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Faculty of Health, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK Private Practice, Vienna, Austria Department of Angiology, Clinica Barbantini, Lucca, Italy URDIA Research Unit EA 4465, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France Laboratoires Innothera, Arcueil, France CircAid Medical, San Diego, CA, USA Malden & UMC St Radboud, Nijmegen, the Netherlands Skin & Wound Care Laboratory, 3M Deutschland GmbH, Neuss, Germany St Antoine Hospital, Paris, France ACI Medical, San Marcos, CA, USA Department of Vascular Surgery, Clinical Centre Nis, Nis, Serbia HIA Begin, St Mande, France Department of Dermatology, Phlebology and Lympho-Vascular Medicine, Drachten, the Netherlands Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary Lympho Opt Clinic for Lymphology, Pommelsbrunn, Germany.
Mieke
M
Flour
Michael
M
Clark
Hugo
H
Partsch
Giovanni
G
Mosti
Jean-Francois
JF
Uhl
Michel
M
Chauveau
Francois
F
Cros
Pierre
P
Gelade
Dean
D
Bender
Anneke
A
Andriessen
Jan
J
Schuren
André
A
Cornu-Thenard
Ed
E
Arkans
Dragan
D
Milic
Jean-Patrick
JP
Benigni
Robert
R
Damstra
Gyozo
G
Szolnoky
Franz
F
Schingale
D001530:Belgium; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D032921:Consensus; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000628:therapy*; D053828:Stockings, Compression