# Prophylactic measures for reducing deep vein thrombosis risk in post-operative critical care patients

**Authors:** Robin Abraham, Mahalakshmi B, Siva Subramanian N

PMC · DOI: 10.6026/973206300213554 · 2025-10-31

## TL;DR

This study shows that using knee-length DVT stockings and leg exercises can significantly reduce the risk of blood clots in post-surgery patients.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in reducing DVT risk in high-risk surgical patients.

## Key findings

- The experimental group had a significantly lower DVT probability compared to the control group.
- The mean Wells score in the experimental group was 0.82 versus 5.37 in the control group (p < 0.001).
- Non-pharmacological interventions are effective in reducing thromboembolic complications in post-operative care.

## Abstract

The effect of knee-length DVT stockings and structured leg exercises in reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is of interest.
Participants were randomly divided into experimental (n=60) and control (n=60) groups and DVT risk was assessed using the Modified
Caprini Risk Score at baseline and Wells Criteria post-intervention. Baseline scores were comparable, confirming group homogeneity, but
post-intervention analysis showed a significant reduction in DVT probability in the experimental group. The mean Wells score was 0.82
for the experimental group compared to 5.37 in the control group, with p < 0.001 indicating a highly significant difference. Data shows
that simple, non-pharmacological interventions can effectively lower DVT risk in high-risk surgical patients and should be incorporated
into routine post-operative care to reduce thromboembolic complications.

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** DVT (MESH:D020246), thromboembolic complications (MESH:D013923)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12859346