Thigh-Length Versus Below-Knee Stockings for Deep Venous Thrombosis Prophylaxis After Stroke

deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis. Although below-knee stockings are used more often than thigh-length stockings, no reliable evidence indicates that they are as effective as thigh-length stockings. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of thigh-length stockings with that of below-knee stockings for preventing proximal DVT in immobile, hospitalized patients with stroke. Design: Parallel-group trial with centralized randomization (minimi-zation within centers) to ensure allocation concealment. The ultra-sonographers who looked for DVT were blinded, but the patients and caregivers were not. (Controlled-trials.com registration number: ISRCTN28163533) Setting: 112 hospitals in 9 countries. Patients: 3114 immobile patients hospitalized with acute strok