Special stockings reduce DVT risk on long flights

Jun 15 2005

According to new research, passengers on long flights can lessen the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by wearing special stockings.

DVT is the occlusion of a deep vein by a blood clot. It generally affects the leg veins, such as the femoral vein or the popliteal vein, or occasionally the veins of the arm.

An experiment showed that people who did not wear graduated compression stockings when they flew were more than 12 times more likely to develop DVT than those who used them.

In a group of 1,237 passengers wearing the knee-length stockings only two developed DVT, compared with 46 of the 1,245 who did not wear them.

All the participants in the experiment were also advised to walk or exercise regularly, drink water, avoid salty food and make sure bulky baggage did not restrict leg movement.

Professor Hsiu-Fang Hsieh, from Fooyin University in Taiwan, who was co-author of the research, says that similar stockings have been around for thousands of years and there is evidence that the ancient Egyptians used them.

He says that the research review shows that the modern-day equivalent is a useful way of reducing the risk of DVT when flying, particularly on long-haul flights. They are also easy to use and have no side effects.

Travellers should however not see wearing the stockings as a substitute for following sensible advice, like moving regularly and avoiding dehydration.

The research is published in the latest edition of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.