Do 'flight hose' stop deep vein thrombosis?

Do 'flight hose' stop deep vein thrombosis?

Most won't need them, but travelers who pull on a pair of elastic support hose before boarding a long flight can cut their risk of blood clots, according to a new review of research.

The review examined the evidence that compression stockings can prevent deep vein thrombosis. Sometimes called "traveler's thrombosis," DVT is a circulatory condition in which blood coagulates into small clots inside a blood vessel.

Compression stockings — made from elasticized material — provide graduated, gentle pressure and are designed to keep blood flowing properly.

Lead researcher Mike Clarke, Ph.D., and his team uncovered strong evidence that flight stockings work. The review found that compression stockings reduce the risk of symptomless DVT to one to three cases per 1,000 long-haul passengers, down from 10 to 30 cases per 1,000.

"It's an extremely dramatic reduction, but it's of something that in the first place wasn't very common. So, these stockings reduce a fairly small risk, to something tiny," said Clarke, director of the United Kingdom Cochrane Centre.

The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.