A randomized blinded comparison of two methods used for venous antistasis in tetraplegia

OBJECTIVE: The hemodynamic effects of slow sequential compression (SCD) were compared with rapid intermittent pulsatile compression (IPC) in subjects with complete tetraplegia. METHODS: Twenty subjects underwent Doppler examination of the bilateral popliteal and femoral veins. Resting volume flow per minute (VFM), average venous velocity (AVV), and maximal venous velocity (MVV) were measured in both veins. SCD and IPC were then randomly applied to one limb each, followed by repeat Doppler measurements under compression conditions. Doppler spectral recordings were stored for future analysis, and then measured by an investigator blinded to testing conditions (rest versus compression) and device (SCD versus IPC). RESULTS: Sequential compression and IPC compression both increased popliteal and femoral vein VFM, AVV, and MVV above resting levels (all p's < 0.001). In the femoral vein VFM (p < 0.05) and MVV (p < 0.05) were augmented during IPC compared to SCD compression. CONCLUSION: As MVV best reflects performance effectiveness of compression devices, these data find IPC more effective than SCD for stimulating venous blood flow in subjects with tetraplegia.