Anti-Embolic Stockings And Symbolism (VTE)

A patient goes into a surgery in either in cases of emergency or electively in order to repair or rebuild their injured or diseased body part. Once a patient becomes postoperative, they are at increased risk for developing a venous thromboembolism (VTE). A VTE is “manifested as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)” (Autar, 2009) which are known as the silent killers because they are the cause of a substantial amount of cases involving surgery. DVT is referred to as “the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein” (Miller, 2011). The nurses, who have patients at increased risk for the development of VTE, need to have a full understanding of the risk factors and are able to recognize the key indicators a patient may display when

Anti-embolic stockings (AES) are “graduated compression stockings [that are] high pressure at the ankle and low pressure at the knee or thigh” (Autar, 2009). Each article discussed, the main topics seen throughout the literature are the risk factors of VTE, the improper fitting and use of AES, the lack of information for both the patients and the evidence behind them and the pros and cons of wearing the stockings. Between the four articles that are being reviewed, the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the inconsistencies and support for current practice all have similarities as well as some differences in opinion. Any patient who is undergoing a surgery can acquire postoperative VTE; therefore it is crucial for proper management and patient teaching regarding the

With the amount of evidence that is shown within this articles, it is acceptable to believe that anti-embolic stockings are appropriate to use in the recovery of a postoperative patient in prevention of VTE. Although there is some controversy, the use of the stockings is appropriate for some but not all patients and “should be based on individual patient factors” (Alsawadi & Loeffler, 2012). Therefore nursing assessments are crucial in these patients to ensure there are no contradictions in use or signs of VTE. Using these stockings will greatly benefit the patients’ recovery as well as lowering their chance of developing a VTE. In comparison, the articles contain sufficient research that should be implemented into the practice for nurses. The information provided about anti-embolic stockings in the prevention of VTE still needs more research due to the variety of opinions. There are a couple of gaps and inconsistences within the articles that need to be examined to further support our practice. Autar states on the basis of insufficient evidence AES are not wholly endorsed, therefore more research must be done on this topic to come to a finalized decision (2009). Overall, when researching the topic of anti-embolic stockings and VTE for the further knowledge in nursing skills, it is important to review a variety of literature to determine which information will be useful towards your patient, and decrease there chance of developing this