Yolanda Adams, RB, BSN, Archbold Memorial Hospital
Contributor
Many of us have been admitted to a hospital for various reasons. There is usually a lot going on during the admission process: new medications, needles, intravenous fluids and unfamiliar medical equipment around. Some patients ask questions while others patiently participate in whatever is being done and do not ask any questions.
Frequently, the nurse will apply Velcro sleeves to patient's legs, plug the cables into a device at the end of the bed and simply call them "little massagers." Do most of us really know what they are and their purpose? The truth is, probably not. Actually, they are called Sequential Compression Devices, SCD's for short.
SCD's are used to stimulate circulation and improve blood flow in the legs; however, they can also be used on arms. They are shaped like "sleeves" that wrap around the legs, and while inflating one at a time, imitate walking and prevent blood clots. They are used as prophylaxis in patients with high risk of bleeding, trauma patients, pre-operative and post-operative patients. SCD's are also used as a safe non-invasive therapy for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention. DVT is a result of a blood clot forming in a vein, usually in a leg, which can be very serious if the blood clot dislodges and travels to the lungs, causing pulmonary emboli. In order to be effective, the SCD's must be worn for at least 90 percent of each 24 hour period. They should be removed only by medical staff for reasons such as skin check, which should be performed every eight hours, ambulation and when there is an order to discontinue the SCD.