Elastic Bandage vs Hypertonic Albumin for Diuretic-Resistant Volume-Overloaded Patients in Intensive Care Unit: A Propensity-Match Study

Venous Leg Compression for Tissue Decongestion in Patients With Worsening Congestive Heart Failure

Aims

Venous leg compression (VLC) with elastic bandages has been proposed as a potentially useful strategy for decreasing tissue congestion. We aimed to evaluate the effect of VLC on short-term changes on intravascular refill, assessed by inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter in patients with worsening heart failure (WHF) requiring parenteral furosemide. Additionally, we sought to evaluate whether early changes in IVC were related to short-term decongestion.

Methods

This is a prospective study in which we included 20 consecutive ambulatory patients with WHF treated with subcutaneous furosemide and VLC for at least 72 h. The endpoints were (a) short-term changes in IVC, (b) the association between decongestion and 3-h IVC changes following VLC. Changes in continuous endpoints and their longitudinal trajectories were estimated with linear mixed regression models. All analyses were adjusted for multiple comparisons.

Results

Following administration of subcutaneous furosemide and VLC, we found a significant increase in 3-h IVC diameter (ΔIVC = 1.6 mm, CI 95%: 0.7–2.5; p < 0.001), with a greater increase in those with baseline IVC≤21 mm (2.4 vs. 0.8 mm; p < 0.001). 3-h intravascular refill (increase in IVC≥2 mm) was associated with greater decongestion (natriuresis, weight, peripheral edemas, and dyspnea) in those with baseline IVC≤21 mm but not when IVC>21 mm (p < 0.05 for all comparisons).

Conclusions

In this cohort of patients with congestive WHF treated with subcutaneous furosemide and VLC, we found a greater increase in short-term IVC in those with IVC ≤21 mm at baseline. In this subset of patients, a 3-h increase in IVC≥2 mm was associated with greater short-term decongestion.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Two Elastic Bandages for Forearm Hematoma After Transradial Coronary Intervention

Background: This study compares the efficacy of two elastic bandages in treating forearm hematoma after transradial coronary intervention.

Methods: A total of 60 patients with moderate or severe forearm hematoma following transradial coronary intervention were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups, as follows: an Idealast-haft elastic bandage group (the observation group) and a control group. The patients in the Idealast-haft elastic bandage group received compression bandaging with Idealast-haft elastic bandages and the patients in the control group received compression bandaging with Nylexorgrip elastic bandages. Observation indexes related to, for example, forearm pain, arterial pulsation, blistering, skin color, and hemostasis time were compared between the two groups.

Results: The results revealed that the times taken for pain disappearance, arterial pulse recovery, blister disappearance, skin color recovery, and compression hemostasis were significantly shorter in the Idealast-haft elastic bandage group than in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The hematoma range and the arm circumference at the severest part of the hematoma decreased faster in the observation group than in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The Idealast-haft elastic bandage is more effective than the Nylexorgrip elastic bandage in patients with forearm hematoma following transradial coronary intervention and should therefore be used in such cases.