[Effect of different use time of intermittent pneumatic compression on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis of lower extremities after arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of different use time of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower extremities after arthroplasty.

METHODS: Between October 2018 and February 2019, 94 patients who planned to undergo unilateral total hip or knee arthroplsty and met the selection criteria were randomly divided into a control group (47 cases) and a trial group (47 cases). There was no significant difference in gender, age, surgical site, and surgical reason between the two groups ( P >0.05). After returning to the ward, all patients were treated with IPC. And the IPC was used until 9:00 pm on the day after operation in the trial group and until 8:00 am the next day after operation in the control group. The levels of hemoglobin, platelet count, D-dimer, hospital stay, treatment costs, patients' satisfaction with IPC, the parameters of thromboelastrography [kinetics (K value), freezing angle (α angle), reaction time (R value), maximum amplitude (MA value)], visual analogue scale (VAS) score, circumference difference of calf before and after operation, Pittsburgh sleep assessment score, and the incidence of DVT of lower limbs were recorded and compared between the two groups.

RESULTS: The K value and D-dimer before operation were significant different between the two groups ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in pre- and post-operative hemoglobin, platelet count, and the other parameters of thromboelastography between the two groups ( P >0.05). There was no significant difference in pre- and post-operative VAS scores and post-operative circumference difference of calf between the two groups ( P >0.05). The sleep assessment score of the trial group at 1 day after operation was significant lower than that of the control group ( t =2.107, P =0.038). There was no significant difference in the hospital stay and treatment costs between the two groups ( P >0.05). There was 1 case (2.1%) of DVT, 3 cases (6.4%) of intermuscular venous thrombosis, and 1 case (2.1%) of infection in the trial group, and 2 cases (4.3%), 4 cases (8.5%), and 0 (0) in the control group. The differences were not significant ( P >0.05). After the completion of postoperative IPC treatment, the satisfaction rates of using IPC were 89.4%(42/47) in the trial group and 70.2% (33/47) in the control group, and the difference was not significant ( χ 2 =0.097, P =0.104).

CONCLUSION: IPC using for a short period of time after arthroplasty do not increase the degrees of the pain and the swelling of calf; it can effectively prevent DVT of the lower extremity, improve the quality of sleep in patients, and is good for the limbs rehabilitation.