Objective Evaluation of Skin Pressure Distribution of Graduated Elastic Compression Stockings

1. Objective Evaluation of Skin Pressure Distribution of Graduated Elastic Compression Stockings Presenter：Chung-Yi Chiu Advisior：Dr.Yi-chun Du Date：November 13th Liu R, Kwok YL, Li Y, Lao TT, Zhang X, Dai XQ By the American Society for Dermatologic, IncDermatol Surg, VOL. 31, NO. 6, pp615-624 2005

2. Outline • Introduction • Method • Results • Discussion • Conclusions

3. Introduction(1/5) • Varicose veins: enlarged, swollen, and tortuous veins. • Factor : Venous valves • Symptom : Edema、Fester WEDMD http://www.webmd.com/default.htm

4. Introduction(2/5)

5. Introduction(3/5) • Edinburgh 40% men32% women • American 60% of all women and men • Finland 7%-18% men 25%-32% women

6. Introduction(4/5) • Graduated Elastic Compression stockngs (GCSs) • Compression therapy • Pressure gradient • Venous disorders • Relieve symptoms Venacureevlt http://venacure-evlt.com/

7. Introduction(5/5) • Graduated Elastic Compression stockngs (GCSs) • Pressure level • Pressure distribution • Pressure gradient Venacureevlt http://venacure-evlt.com/

8. Method(1/4)

9. Method(2/4) • Pressure sensors • Thickness 0.127mm • Diameter 9.525mm • Area 71.1mm2 • Sampling frequency 10Hz Tekscan http://www.tekscan.com/

10. Method(3/4)

11. Method(4/4)

12. Result(1/6) • Six healthy females • Age 33.33 ± 6.37 year • Height 159.67 ±4.71 cm • Weight 52.58± 5.04kg • BMI 20.48± 1.90 kg/m2

13. Result(2/6)

14. Result(3/6)

15. Result(4/6)

16. Result(5/6) 5525 4665 3812 3332 2866 2639 1866 1600

17. Result(6/6)

18. Discussion(1/3) • Proper pressure distribution and magnitude are very important for the wearing comfort and medical function of compression stockings.

19. Discussion(2/3) • Pressure Gradients • Not all tested compression stockings have the claimed pressure gradients. • The human leg is an irregular geometric object.

20. Discussion(3/3) • Pressure Levels and General Skin Pressure • pressure levels at the ankle region, whereas the pressures around the ankle were lowerthan those specified by the manufacturers, implying that the tested compression stockings may not provide effective support to the ankle region.

21. Conclusions(1/4) • 1. The general pattern of pressure gradients of all GCSsis that the highest pressure was exerted on the ankleregion and decreased up to the thigh. The pressure atthe anterior side of the leg was significantly higherthan that at the medial and lateral sides. • The measured pressurevalues were lower than the pressure values specified by the manufacturers.

22. Conclusions(2/4) • 2. Pressure gradients, pressure levels, testing locations,and body shape have significant influences on skin pressure.

23. Conclusions(3/4) • 3. Variations in the anatomic structure and body shapes of individual human legs are the main reasons for no ideal pressure gradient distribution and pressure level performance.

24. Conclusions(4/4) • 4. The difference between measured and specified pressure values in this study could be largely accounted for by the use of different pressure sensors and testing model with different leg shapes and interface conditions, as well as the differences in anatomic dimensions between Chinese and European subjects.

25. Thanks for your attention !