Development of separated elastic stockings.

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Medical Device Innovation
• Compression Therapy

Background:

• Elastic stockings are crucial for managing conditions like lymphoedema.
• Current non-separated stockings can be difficult to don and doff, impacting patient adherence.
• Developing user-friendly alternatives is essential for improving therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the acceptability and usability of newly developed separated elastic stockings.
• To compare the ease of application and removal between separated and non-separated stockings.
• To evaluate the in-use shift and safety of modified separated stockings.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving healthy volunteers and patients with lymphoedema.
• Evaluation of original and modified separated stockings against current non-separated designs.
• Assessment of donning/doffing difficulty and in-use stocking shift during daily activities.

Main Results:

• 75-81% of participants found separated stockings easier to put on and take off compared to non-separated ones.
• Modified separated stockings showed reduced complaints during daily activities versus the original design.
• The average shift for modified separated stockings after 11 hours was minimal (1.6 ± 3.0 mm).

Conclusions:

• Modified separated elastic stockings offer superior ease of use compared to conventional non-separated types.
• These stockings are safe for daily use, exhibiting minimal displacement.
• The design facilitates better patient compliance and potentially improves therapeutic effectiveness in compression therapy.