A hemodynamic study of popliteal vein blood flow : the effect of bed rest and electrically elicited calf muscle contractions

Barry J. Broderick, David E. O'Briain, Paul P. Breen, Stephen R. Kearns, Gearóid ÓLaighin

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

    12 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Venous stasis, due to lack of activation of the calf muscle pump of postoperative patients, can result in the development of a thrombus which, in turn, can lead to a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. The presented study investigates the effects that four hours of bed rest has on the lower limb hemodynamics of healthy subjects and, to what extent electrically elicited contractions of the calf muscles can alleviate these effects. Results indicated that the non-stimulated group experienced a decline in popliteal venous blood flow of approximately 45% and a 10% decrease in heart rate. The stimulated group maintained a higher venous blood flow and heart rate. The results suggest that even short periods of bed rest can significantly reduce lower limb blood flow which could have implications for DVT development in post-operative patients. Electrically elicited calf muscle contractions significantly improves lower limb blood flow and can alleviate the debilitating effects of bed rest.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationEMBC 2009: Proceedings of the 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society: Engineering the Future of Biomedicine: 2-6 September, 2009, Hilton Minneapolis, Minnesota
    PublisherI.E.E.E.
    Pages2149-2152
    Number of pages4
    ISBN (Print)9781424432967
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009
    EventIEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference -
    Duration: 30 Apr 2015 → …

    Publication series

    Name
    ISSN (Print)1557-170X

    Conference

    ConferenceIEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference
    Period30/04/15 → …

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