Blood flow velocity of the femoral vein with foot exercise compared to pneumatic foot compression.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of foot exercise with an intermittent pneumatic foot compression (IPC) device on blood flow velocity of the femoral veins.

DESIGN

Prospective, controlled study.

SETTING

General intensive care unit of a university hospital.

PATIENTS

20 patients on bed rest in the intensive care unit.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were divided into 2 groups: group A, foot exercise (n = 10); and group B, IPC device (n = 10). The foot exercise was done once by a nurse for 5 minutes with the dorsiflexion of the ankle (15 times per minute) in group A patients. The IPC device (A-V Impulse System, compression setting: 130 mm Hg for 3 seconds followed by a resting period of 60 seconds) was used for 2 hours in group B.

MEASUREMENTS

Peak blood flow velocity of the femoral vein was measured using the ultrasound unit with a 7.5-MHz linear array probe (ALOKA SSD-5500) at 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes.

MAIN RESULTS

Peak blood flow velocities in both groups increased significantly vs the control values during the study. At 5 minutes, group A showed a significant increase in the peak blood flow velocity compared with group B.

CONCLUSIONS

Foot exercise by a nurse for 5 minutes was equally or more effective compared with the IPC device in increasing peak blood flow velocity of the femoral vein. The effect of the 5-minute foot exercise lasted for 2 hours.