Preventing Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism with Portable Mechanical Compression Therapy

What is Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism?

Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism (HA-VTE) is a significant, deadly, costly, and growing public health problem within US hospitals, affecting an estimated 350,000 to 600,000 patients annually. Commonly defined as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), or both, it is a frequent complication of hospitalization, accounting for approximately one-half to two-thirds of VTE incidence worldwide.

Additional risk factors of DVT and PE include:

Chronic Medical Conditions

Prolonged Immobility

The more risk factors a person has, the greater the risk. As a result, VTE prevention is considered one of the most critical interventions that directly affects patient safety and the overall cost of care. However, even though as many as 70% of HA-VTE cases are preventable, fewer than half of hospitalized patients receive preventative measures.

Evidence-Based Recommendations for the Prevention of VTE

Clinical guidelines, such as the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Guideline for the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism, offer healthcare teams a practical framework for developing and implementing protocols, including the use of mechanical prophylaxis.

Key recommendations outlined in the AORN guidelines include:

• Encourage early and frequent ambulation or mobilization as a postoperative intervention to prevent VTE.
• Use portable, battery-operated mobile compression devices to increase patient compliance and mobility.
• Ensure intermittent pneumatic compression devices can record wear time to monitor adherence.

How Does Compression Therapy Work?

Mechanical prophylaxis, such as intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPCDs), is a compression therapy used to help prevent blood clots. These devices promote blood flow by utilizing sleeves or cuffs placed around the legs that inflate and deflate to apply external pressure, “squeezing” the legs. This compression increases blood flow in the deep veins, moving blood towards the heart and preventing pooling, which reduces the risk of clot formation.

Benefits of Mobile Compression Devices

Early mobilization is another critical aspect of VTE prevention. It is associated with improved functional outcomes, reduced hospital costs, and a decreased length of stay, as well as lessening the risk of readmissions and the potential financial penalties that accompany them.

Portable IPCDs offer the potential advantage of continued use during ambulation. In contrast, non-portable devices must be removed when a patient ambulates.

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated the use of a battery-powered portable IPCD compared to a stationary device plugged into an outlet. The researchers found that the use of the portable, battery-operated device significantly increased patient compliance.

Another study published in an international, peer-reviewed nursing journal aimed to determine whether using a tubeless, cordless mechanical compression device compared with a standard IPCD impacts compliance with mechanical VTE prophylaxis in trauma patients. The results concluded that the absence of cords and tubes promotes safe mobility. This significantly influenced compliance and enabled patients to be mobilized safely without the need to unplug/re-plug the device.

Adopting wearable, portable, battery-operated compression devices that eliminate cords and tubes supportAORN recommendations by improving comfort, promoting early mobilization, and providing objective wear time and mobility data that can be documented. 

Integrating wearable mechanical compression devices into a comprehensive, AORN-guided VTE prevention protocol ultimately helps improve patient safety and reduce the incidence of HA-VTEs.

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Learn more about RF Health’s innovative approach to HA-VTE prevention: rfhealth.com/movement-and-compressions