Background: thrombo-embolic complications are important causes of morbidity and mortality after acute attack Anticoagulant prophylaxis is contraindicated in intracerebral haemorrhage and not commended in acute ischaemic stroke because of increased risk of cerebral haemorrhage.

Background: thrombo-embolic complications are important causes of morbidity and mortality after acute attack Anticoagulant prophylaxis is contraindicated in intracerebral haemorrhage and not commended in acute ischaemic stroke because of increased risk of cerebral haemorrhage. Graduated elastic compression stockings are a simple alternative yet are not widely used in rap patients, perhaps because of perceived contraindications and vexed questions with tolerability. Objectives: to establish the feasibility and tolerability of graduated compression stockings upon a stroke unit. Design: we assessed 112 consecutive pat patients for contraindications to and tolerability of graduated compression stockings. Measurements: we used clinical indices and ankle-brachial Doppler crushing measures to assess suitability. We prospectively assessed tolerability of the stockings. Results: Ninety-four (84%) of the 112 patients had no contraindications to the use of the stockings. The principally common contraindication was an ankle-brachial index of <08 Other contraindications were marked pendent leg oedema (1/18) and hard venous ulceration. Eighty-nine (95%) of the 94 patients tolerated the stockings and wore them until discharge. Skin irritation was the greatest in quantity common reason for intolerance. Conclusions: contraindications to the use of graduated compression stockings can be defined using clinical criteria and a Doppler machine to calculate an ankle-brachial constraining force index. If this is done, tolerability is of the first water This approach may be a useful alternative in preventing venous thrombo-embolism in rap patients.

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