Blood flow velocity of the femoral vein with foot exercise compared to pneumatic foot compression

Study objective: To compare the effects of foot exercise with an intermittent pneumatic foot compression (IPC) device on blood flow velocity of the femoral veins. Design: Prospective, controlled study. Setting: General intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients: 20 patients on bed rest in the intensive care unit. Interventions: Patients were divided into 2 groups: group A, foot exercise (n = 10); and group B, IPC device (n = 10). The foot exercise was done once by a nurse for 5 minutes with the dorsiflexion of the ankle (15 times per minute) in group A patients. The IPC device (A-V Impulse System, compression setting: 130 mm Hg for 3 seconds followed by a resting period of 60 seconds) was used for 2 hours in group B. Measurements: Peak blood flow velocity of the femoral vein was measured using the ultrasound unit with a 7.5-MHz linear array probe (ALOKA SSD-5500) at 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes. Main results: Peak blood flow velocities in both groups increased significantly vs the control values during the study. At 5 minutes, group A showed a significant increase in the peak blood flow velocity compared with group B. Conclusions: Foot exercise by a nurse for 5 minutes was equally or more effective compared with the IPC device in increasing peak blood flow velocity of the femoral vein. The effect of the 5-minute foot exercise lasted for 2 hours.