MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR CONTACT PRESSURE OF COMPRESSION KNITTED GARMENT

Abstract

Abstract. Compression therapy is a way to treat venous leg ulcers, venous hypertension, venous edema, venous congestion, and other chronic venous diseases. The main principle of such treatment is the application of a certain pressure on the tissues surrounding the affected area. Depending on the applied pressure level, compression garments can affect the internal veins, arteries, and lymphatics. Thus, determining the pressure created by compression garments on the human body is an important task of the study.

Purpose. The analysis of existing methods for determining the contact pressure of compression garments and the reasonable choice of a method for use in the future development of new elastic materials is the main goal of this research.

Methodology. The classical method of analyzing scientific literature as well as two methods for measuring the contact pressure of compression garments: direct and indirect using Laplace's law have been used in this work.

Findings. There are many tools and methods that can be used to measure the contact pressure of medical compression garments. Since each of them differs by protocol and equipment, there are differences in the obtained pressure values. Direct methods, in comparison with indirect methods, give the most reliable results, since they allow measuring both static and dynamic pressure, not only on a mannequin (in vitro), but also directly on a human (in vivo). However, these methods require special equipment. The conducted studies have shown that the indirect method used in the work can't be recommended for evaluating finished compression products for therapeutic treatment. However, it can be used in research on the future development of new compression materials and products in order to compare and select the most effective options.

Originality of the work is in a detailed analysis of existing methods for determining the contact pressure of compression garment, their classification, and evaluation of their effectiveness both in terms of therapeutic effect and in terms of new compression materials and product development.

Practical value. The recommendations on an indirect method for determining contact pressure usage in the development and study of materials for compression garments are given based on the analysis results.