medi thrombexin 18 for thrombosis
prophylaxis in hospital.

A study recently conducted in Great Britain¹⁾, which was published in the journal The Lancet, is currently confusing the media. The study results say that so-called thrombosis prophylaxis stockings do not have the desired effects in stroke patients.

Instead of consistently and correctly referring to these as antithrombosis stockings, they are all “lumped together” as medical compression stockings and support stockings. 

It is essential to distinguish between compression stockings, thrombosis prophylaxis stockings and support stockings, as all three products differ from one another with respect to their mode of action and their therapeutic indications.

Thrombosis prophylaxis in hospital

The study currently under discussion, investigated so-called thrombosis prophylaxis stockings. It refers exclusively to stroke patients. Life without the white bed stockings (e. g. mediven thrombexin) with their exactly defined pressure gradient along the leg, is unthinkable for thrombosis prophylaxis for bed-ridden patients after an operation – particularly those with a history of venous diseases: a combination of medicamentous and physical therapy appears to be expedient in view of the aetiology of thromboses. Many studies²⁾ have shown, for example, that subcutaneous (under the skin) injections of heparin in combination with medical thrombosis prophylaxis stockings lead to a considerably reduced incidence of thromboembolisms.

Healthy pressure on the leg: medical compression stockings

Medical compression stockings are not used for thrombosis prophylaxis in bed-ridden patients. They are the basic form of treatment for all diseases of the venous and lymphatic system (e.g. mediven). They are prescribed by the doctor, and the patients are measured for the correct fit by surgical appliance retailers. The compression the stocking exerts is exactly defined by so-called compression classes. They best achieve their effects when patients actively move their leg muscles. Due to the specific pressure gradient that diminishes from the ankle towards the heart, the diameter of the previously distended veins in the legs is reduced. The venous valves close again and the blood flows back better to the heart. Medical compression stockings are prescribed by the doctor if required, and the patients are measured for the correct fit by specialist medical retailers (e.g. surgical appliance dealers): the user’s leg circumferences are measured in several places so that the compression stocking matches his anatomy exactly. Today’s compression stockings are made of active breathing, comfortable and skin-friendly materials. Suitable skincare e. f. medi day and medi night soothes the stressed skin of patients with venous diseases.

medi travel – the first clinically tested travel stockings

This is also the principle behind the travel stocking medi travel, designed for those with no previous venous problems. It is the first travel stocking whose medical efficacy was clinically tested in a study³⁾ in 2001 (also published in the „Lancet“): for the first time ever, the efficacy of wearing compression stockings to prevent the Economy-Class syndrome on long-haul flights, was confirmed by a clinical study. Not one of the over 200 subjects wearing stockings developed deep vein thrombosis. In contrast, ten percent of the participants without a travel stocking developed an asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis after the flight.

Support stockings: as a rule, do not exert controlled pressure gradient along the leg

On the other hand, support stockings do not, as a rule, exert a controlled diminishing pressure gradient. This means that blood can still pool in the legs and, as a result, venous diseases can develop or the symptoms are not relieved. The stocking size is usually determined by the shoe size. Support stockings cannot be prescribed and are therefore only suitable for people with healthy veins. They are completely irrelevant for the clinical setting.

References:

¹⁾  http://www.thelancet.com/
journals/lancet/article/
PIIS0140-6736(09)60941-7/abstract
²⁾  AWMF-Leitlinien-Register Nr. 003/001: Prophylaxe der venösen Thromboembolie (VTE); Stand 18. März 2009;
Amaragiri SV, Lees TA. Elastic compression stockings for prevention of deep vein thrombo-sis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000: CD001484.
Wells PS, Lensing AW, Hirsh J. Graduated compression stockings in the prevention of post-operative venous thromboembolism. A meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med 1994; 154: 67-72.
³⁾ http://www.medi.de/patient/
produkte/venengesundheit/
aktiv-und-reisestruempfe/medi-travel.html