Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of anti-embolism stocking in preventing lower limb edema following saphenous vein harvesting in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

Background. Saphenous vein harvesting in the CABG may cause leg edema and compression therapy commonly used for the prevention of this problem.

Method. This prospective cohort study was conducted on 106 patients underwent elective CABG in Tehran Shahid Rajaei cardiovascular center from June 2011 to March 2011. Following the surgery, at the end of the fourth week, the patients were divided into two study groups according to the method of anti-embolism stocking usage. The first group regularly and consistently used the anti-embolism stocking following surgery (anti-embolism stocking group), whereas the second group did not use anti-embolism stocking, or irregularly used it (control group). The severity of the lower limb edema and changes in the circumference of the legs and thigh were analyzed following the surgery between two groups.

Findings. The findings showed that four weeks after the surgery, the incidence and the severity of the lower limb edema were significantly lower in the anti-embolism stocking group (P≤0.001). Also, the postoperative increase in leg circumference was significantly lower in anti-embolism stocking group, but there was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of thigh measurements (P≤0.05). The findings showed that weight and daily activity significantly correlated (P = 0.035 and 0.002 respectively) with the occurrence of lower limb edema, but there was no statistically significant correlation of occurrence of lower limb edema with age, gender, height, the use of diuretic, diabetes, low-salt diet, cardiac postoperative complication, donor leg ulcer complication and method of saphenous vein use.

Conclusion. This study showed that the regular use of anti-embolism stocking has a significant effect for the prevention of the lower limb edema and reduction of its grade, following the saphenous vein harvesting in CABG patients.