Purpose of Technology

Pneumatic compression therapy attempts to prevent blood clots by improving blood flow from the legs to the heart by repeatedly applying waves of pressure to the feet or legs. After knee surgery, the goal of this therapy is to prevent or reduce the extent of deep vein thromboses in the legs that can travel to the lungs and cause fatal pulmonary embolism.

Questions addressed in this report include:

• Does pneumatic compression therapy reduce the incidence of DVT and how does it compare with other methods of DVT prevention?
• Is pneumatic compression therapy safe?
• Have definitive patient selection criteria been established for pneumatic compression for DVT?

These questions provide a framework for review and synthesis of the best available evidence, which is presented in this report, along with the Hayes Ratings for the technology. This report also provides background information about the condition being treated, a description of the technology, and the context for development of the technology. Other key elements addressed in the report include the regulatory status; applicable Medicare and commercial payer coverage policies; relevant ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes; cost and cost effectiveness; credentialing; hospital length of stay; need for large case management; and ongoing and future clinical trials of the technology.

Posted in Directory Reports
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 at 12:00 pm.