Open AccessGraduated compression stockings in hip fractures
Author(s) -
Abdulrahman Alsawadi,
M. Loeffler
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
annals of the royal college of surgeons of england
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.39
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1478-7083
pISSN - 0035-8843
DOI - 10.1308/003588412x13171221592492
Subject(s) - medicine , nice , cochrane library , hip fracture , orthopedic surgery , medline , compression stockings , systematic review , venous thromboembolism , evidence based medicine , excellence , physical therapy , intensive care medicine , surgery , randomized controlled trial , osteoporosis , alternative medicine , thrombosis , pathology , computer science , political science , law , programming language
Hip fractures are the most common cause of acute admissions to orthopaedics units and in the UK approximately 70,000-75,000 hip fractures occur annually. Hip fractures carry a significant risk of developing a venous thromboembolism. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimated that the risk of developing a venous thromboembolism in patients with hip fractures who do not receive thromboprophylaxis is 43%. In their recent guidelines, NICE recommended that combined mechanical and pharmacological thromboprophylaxis should be offered to patients undergoing hip fracture surgery and mechanical prophylaxis should be commenced at admission. The aim of this review was to search for available evidence that could support using graduated compression stockings combined with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in hip fracture patients.