SCD's and TED hose

Nurses General Nursing

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I work at a VA hospital and it is common practice for our MD's to order sequential compression devices and TED hose to be used simultaneously. From the research I have done, there is no additive effect. What does your hospital do, use both at the same time or one-or-the-other?

:confused:There's some controversy about SCD's on the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the VA where I work. Some staff think that the part that inflates belongs on the posterior foreleg, others think it belongs anteriorly. I will not divulge my opinion in order to not effect responses. Thanks.

This is from the little experience I have with SCDs, having the part that inflates on the posterior side seems to make sense b/c the muscles are on the back on the leg. SCDs are suppose to promote circulation in pt. who are unable to ambulate enough to stimulate the circulation on their own.

The reason SCDs work is that they compress striated muscle which causes the muscles to produce nitrous oxide into the circulatory system. The nitrous oxide is a great vasal dilator which helps prevent blood clots. This is why SCDs are also effective when used on the arms, even one arm or one leg. Therefore the inflatable part should be used over the posterior part of the leg over the muscle.

Posteror, see my reply posted today.

Specializes in Getting my LVN first, the onto my RN!!!!.

In the hospital I work at the mds typically order both teds and scds. In fact, while a patient in this hospital, I was given both, and told to put them on with a bp of 210/110

Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

We use the Kendal I believe we call them plexi pulses. They work well, no a patient is not to walk on them. Not safe.

I see that it has been years since this was posted, and I have to admit that I did not read every posting so if this information is duplicated forgive me. The reason for having both TED hose and sequential compression devices is because while SCDs do return venous blood from the lower extremities, in surgical patients SCDs are useful because they release endothelium derived nitric oxide and plasminogen into the circulation that increases fibrinolysis and reduces stasis. This is why you can use only one compression device and the effects are the same (i.e. using one compression device on unaffected limb of a lower limb amputee).

Hope this helps.

Specializes in thoracic ICU, ortho/neuro, med/surg.

It is more common in my unit for us to put TEDs on the patient post-op than SCDs -- on the ortho floor, when I worked there, they used SCDs more. I used to see both used at the same time on patients a lot more often, but in the last year or so, I have seen physicians only ordering one. So who knows why, but, yeah.

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