Abstract
This study aimed to assess the changes in blood pressure（BP）pulse waves（PW）associated with the wearing of compression stockings（CS）and the factors that influence such changes. The study subjects consisted of 40 legs from 20 healthy adults with baseline ankle-brachial pressure indices（ABI）of 1.0≤ABI≤1.4. The subjects took bed rest for at least five minutes before and after wearing open-toed, knee-high stockings（induced pressure increase: 15-20 mmHg）so that their BPPW could be measured appropriately. It has been found that physique-related factors influence the changes in the BP indices of the lower extremities. Furthermore, the factors that influence changes in PW include age and sex. As for the changes in the examined parameters detected after the subjects put on the stockings, the mean observed differences were as follows: the ankle systolic blood pressure（SBP）fell by 8 mmHg（95％ confidence interval［CI］: 6-10 mmHg; p<0.001）, the ABI decreased by 0.07（95％CI: 0.05-0.08; p<0.01）, and the upstroke time increased by 16 ms（95％CI: 14-19; p<0.001）. No significant changes were observed in the first toe SBP, ％mean arterial pressure, or brachial SBP. Thus, the compressive pressure exerted on the ankles by the CS only caused a marginal reduction in the subjects’ ankle SBP. This study suggests that ankle SBP is likely to be lower in smaller and thinner individuals with smaller ankle circumferences.
