Does intermittent calf and foot compression increase lower extremity blood flow?
Measured in the sitting position, the resting popliteal artery blood flow and foot skin perfusion are greater in patients with SFA occlusion compared with normal volunteers. Following compression, popliteal artery blood flow and foot skin perfusion increased in both groups, but relatively more in volunteers. Increases in popliteal artery blood flow are significantly higher with calf compression than with foot compression for both groups. A patent SFA allows for additive increases in popliteal artery blood flow with simultaneous foot and calf compression in normal persons, whereas this is not observed in patients. However, the increases in foot skin perfusion in patients with an occluded SFA parallel the increases shown in normal volunteers, with separate and simultaneous foot and calf compression.
This study suggests that thrombophilia "mediates" in lowering of cardiovascular risk factors in women with a history of preeclampsia.