Usefulness of Elastic Bandage Compression Compared to Calf Massage to Prevent Venous Thromboembolism—A Retrospective Evaluation

Abstract

Background: Manual calf massage and passive ankle motion (CaM) can reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, these methods cannot be used in all patients; thus, elastic bandage (EB) compression is an alternative method. The efficacy of EB compression in preventing VTE has not yet been investigated; thus, this study aimed to compare the effects of EB compression and manual calf massage. Methods: Of the 363 patients who underwent unilateral primary THA at our hospital between 1 August 2018 and 31 October 2023, CaM without anticoagulation therapy was administered to 206 patients (CaM group) and 157 patients underwent EB without anticoagulation therapy (EB group). Duplex ultrasonography was performed 7 days postoperatively to check for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in both legs. Results: The surgical time (122.2 min vs. 155.5 min), the incidence of DVT (4.5% vs. 4.8%) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) (0% vs. 0.7%), intraoperative bleeding (305.4 mL vs. 301 mL), and estimated actual blood loss (846.6 mL vs. 811.6 mL) were not significantly different between the CaM and EB group. However, there was one case of symptomatic PTE in the EB group. Conclusions: The incidences of DVT, PTE, and intraoperative bleeding were not significantly different between the groups. Moreover, EB can be administered to patients with DVT and is considered to be a DVT prophylaxis method that can be used in a larger number of patients. Therefore, we recommend that EB be performed in all the patients undergoing THA.