• Mirko Tessari, Veronica Tisato, Erika Rimondi, Paolo Zamboni, and Anna Maria Malagoni.
• Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Translational Surgery, University Hospital of Ferrara, and Vascular Diseases Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Electronic address: tssmrk@unife.it.
• J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2018 Jul 1; 6 (4): 500-510.

ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate the effects of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in patients at low mobility with leg edema.MethodsA pilot, two-arm, randomized controlled clinical trial was performed. Fifty patients (age, 58.4 ± 9 years; male, 14), randomly allocated to a group (IPC) undergoing 1 month (n = 29) of an in-home cycle of IPC and to a control (C) group (n = 21), were studied. Leg edema was evaluated by measuring subcutaneous thickness (high-resolution ultrasound) and circumferences (metric tape), both assessed at different levels of the lower limbs, and volume (water plethysmography). Ankle range of motion (ROM, goniometer), quality of life (QoL) by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and a pool of plasma inflammatory markers were also evaluated.ResultsEdema significantly decreased in the IPC group (for all outcome measures, P < .0001), whereas it significantly increased in the C group (P < .0001). Ankle ROM was significantly enhanced in the IPC group (dorsiflexion, P < .0001; plantar flexion, P = .002) and remained stable in the C group. QoL showed an improvement in the IPC group, particularly significant for the general health subscale (P = .004), whereas no changes were highlighted in the C group. The two groups exhibited different trends and variations for some plasma inflammatory markers, mainly for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.ConclusionsIn a sample of patients at reduced mobility with leg edema, IPC treatment was effective in reducing the edema, improving the ankle ROM, and determining a positive impact on QoL together with a slight modulation of some plasma inflammatory markers.Copyright © 2018 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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