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A guideline from the American College of Chest Physicians recommends that mechanical methods be used when high bleeding risk precludes use of antithrombotic drugs in patients at risk for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, the guideline does not take a position favoring intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) or graduated compression stockings (GCS).
In this systematic review, researchers examined 10 studies (9 in surgical patients) in which the two methods were compared. In three randomized trials, DVT incidence was significantly lower with IPC than with GCS. However, only about 100 patients were enrolled in each trial, and — in two of them — patients in both groups received antithrombotic drugs in addition to randomized mechanical prop…