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| Why Does Prophylaxis with External Pneumatic Compression for Deep Vein Thrombosis Fail? |
| Source: Comerota AJ, Katz ML, White JV. Am J Surgery 164: 265-268, 1992 |
| Summary: Due to the risk of bleeding complications with pharmacologic prophylaxis for DVT, mechanical devices are an attractive alternative since they have no inherent risk. When examination of possible reasons for reduced efficacy of external pneumatic compression devices (EPC) was conducted, they found that "improper use (of EPC) is frequent and failure of DVT prophylaxis with EPC devices many be due to improper use, rather than failure of the method itself… This can be partly explained by patients removing the devices because of discomfort and inconvenience…." |