Applications of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Purposes

Abstract

Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) technique is prescribed for several treatments, as the management of venous leg ulcers or the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. Commercial devices do not enable the full customization of the compressive patterns due to design specifications and low dynamics. However, IPC can be implemented in a wide scenario of clinical protocols, and not only as a therapeutic tool. In this paper, the results of the research on IPC devices conducted at the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy) are presented. In particular, applications regarding the treatment of the end-diastolic volume (EDV) reduction, the investigation of vascular phenomena as hyperemia, and the assessment of venous pulse wave velocity (vPWV) are discussed. The outcomes of the research demonstrate that IPC technology can lead to the creation of widely used diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative devices.