Postoperative limb compression in reduction of haemorrhage after varicose vein surgery.

In varicose vein surgery, significant postoperative morbidity results from subcutaneous haematoma formation and limb swelling after saphenous vein stripping. We investigated the effectiveness of a high-compression short-stretch adhesive bandage compared with non-adhesive crêpe in reducing haemorrhage after stripping of varicose veins. Using 99mTc-labelled red blood cells, the degree of postoperative bleeding was assessed in 10 patients with bilateral varicose veins allocated for stripping and ligation. High-compression adhesive bandaging was applied to the experimental limb and a non-adhesive bandage to the contralateral control limb. Results show that adequate compression bandaging can decrease subcutaneous haematoma formation after stripping of varicose veins.