Byars E F, Hopkins G R, Tarnay T J
Arch Surg. 1977 Mar;112(3):335-9. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1977.01370030107019.
The compression effectiveness of the five leading brands of antiembolism stockings was compared and related to criteria previously described (pressure gradient diminishing from 18 mm Hg at the ankle to 8 mm Hg at the thigh). Tests were conducted using a standard leg form in common use within the hosiery industry, fitted with specially developed sensors. All of the stockings achieved pressures higher than recommended-some substantially. Elastic stockings from two manufacturers demonstrated tourniquet effects at the calf. Several brands ceased to preserve a continuously diminishing pressure gradient above the knee. Deviation of leg diameter from standard geometry was accompanied by a substantial increase (decrease) in pressure with increasing (decreasing) girth. Reproducibility of pressure effects produced by identical-sized stockings varied among the brands tested.
