Effects of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression on Reduction of Postoperative Lower Extremity Edema and Normalization of Foot Microcirculation Flow in Patients Undergoing Arterial Revascularization

Source of support: Departmental sources Background: In patients with chronic leg ischemia, the beneficial effect of arterial revascularization can be significantly de-creased due to postoperative leg swelling. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of intermittent pneu-matic compression (IPC) on skin flow normalization in patients undergoing revascularization procedures due to chronic leg ischemia. Material/Methods: We evaluated 116 patients with chronic leg ischemia. The patients were divided into groups according to the performed treatment (endovascular or surgical) and implementation of IPC postoperatively. The leg edema as-sessment and microcirculation flow assessment were performed pre- and postoperatively, using percutaneous O2 pressure (TcpO2), cutaneous blood perfusion (CBP) measurements, and skin flow motion assessment. Results: In patients who did not receive IPC, a decrease in CBP value was observed in the 1st postoperative assess-ment. Among patients receiving IPC, the CBD value increased at the 1st and 2nd postoperative measurements, especially in the surgical group. The lowest TcpO2 values were observed in by-pass surgery group without IPC postoperatively. Conclusions: The benefits of the by-pass procedure in patients with leg ischemia can be significantly reduced by postoper-ative edema. Among patients with postoperative leg edema, local tissue blood perfusion can be improved b