Compression garments and exercise: no influence of pressure applied.

Compression garments on the lower limbs are increasingly popular among athletes who wish to improve performance, reduce exercise-induced discomfort, and reduce the risk of injury. However, the beneficial effects of compression garments have not been clearly established. We performed a review of the literature for prospective, randomized, controlled studies, using quantified lower limb compression in order to (1) describe the beneficial effects that have been identified with compression garments, and in which conditions; and (2) investigate whether there is a relation between the pressure applied and the reported effects. The pressure delivered were measured either in laboratory conditions on garments identical to those used in the studies, or derived from publication data. Twenty three original articles were selected for inclusion in this review. The effects of wearing compression garments during exercise are controversial, as most studies failed to demonstrate a beneficial effect on immediate or performance recovery, or on delayed onset of muscle soreness. There was a trend towards a beneficial effect of compression garments worn during recovery, with performance recovery found to be improved in the five studies in which this was investigated, and delayed-onset muscle soreness was reportedly reduced in three of these five studies. There is no apparent relation between the effects of compression garments worn during or after exercise and the pressures applied, since beneficial effects were obtained with both low and high pressures. Wearing compression garments during recovery from exercise seems to be beneficial for performance recovery and delayed-onset muscle soreness, but the factors explaining this efficacy remain to be elucidated. Key pointsWe observed no relationship between the effects of compression and the pressures applied.The pressure applied at the level of the lower limb by compression garments destined for use by athletes varies widely between products.There are conflict results regarding the effects of wearing compression garments during exercise.There is a trend towards a beneficial effect of compression garments worn during recovery.

Dogmas and controversies in compression therapy: report of an International Compression Club (ICC) meeting, Brussels, May 2011.

The International Compression Club (ICC) is a partnership between academics, clinicians and industry focused upon understanding the role of compression in the management of different clinical conditions. The ICC meet regularly and from these meetings have produced a series of eight consensus publications upon topics ranging from evidence-based compression to compression trials for arm lymphoedema. All of the current consensus documents can be accessed on the ICC website (http://www.icc-compressionclub.com/index.php). In May 2011, the ICC met in Brussels during the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) annual conference. With almost 50 members in attendance, the day-long ICC meeting challenged a series of dogmas and myths that exist when considering compression therapies. In preparation for a discussion on beliefs surrounding compression, a forum was established on the ICC website where presenters were able to display a summary of their thoughts upon each dogma to be discussed during the meeting. Members of the ICC could then provide comments on each topic thereby widening the discussion to the entire membership of the ICC rather than simply those who were attending the EWMA conference. This article presents an extended report of the issues that were discussed, with each dogma covered in a separate section. The ICC discussed 12 'dogmas' with areas 1 through 7 dedicated to materials and application techniques used to apply compression with the remaining topics (8 through 12) related to the indications for using compression.

Effectiveness and Acceptance of Multimodal Antibiotic Stewardship Program: Considering Progressive Implementation and Complementary Strategies.

Multiple modes of interventions are available when implementing an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP), however, their complementarity has not yet been assessed. In a 938-bed hospital, we sequentially implemented four combined modes of interventions over one year, centralized by one infectious diseases specialist (IDS): (1) on-request infectious diseases specialist consulting service (IDSCS), (2) participation in intensive care unit meetings, (3) IDS intervention triggered by microbiological laboratory meetings, and (4) IDS intervention triggered by pharmacist alert. We assessed the complementarity of the different cumulative actions through quantitative and qualitative analysis of all interventions traced in the electronic medical record. We observed a quantitative and qualitative complementarity between interventions directly correlating to a decrease in antibiotic use. Quantitatively, the number of interventions has doubled after implementation of IDS intervention triggered by pharmacist alert. Qualitatively, these kinds of interventions led mainly to de-escalation or stopping of antibiotic therapy (63%) as opposed to on-request IDSCS (32%). An overall decrease of 14.6% in antibiotic use was observed (p = 0.03). Progressive implementation of the different interventions showed a concrete complementarity of these actions. Combined actions in ASPs could lead to a significant decrease in antibiotic use, especially regarding critical antibiotic prescriptions, while being well accepted by prescribers.