<i>In vivo</i> stiffness of wraps: a tool to estimate the number of patients who will respond to treatment

Adjustable Compression Devices (ACDs), also known as wraps, offer a promising alternative treatment to bandages in complicated stages of chronic venous disorders. Nevertheless their characterisation and clinical place depending on their stiffness, are still pending questions. We propose a new approach to measuring stiffness in vivo in a small group of individuals Measurement of the Static Stiffness Index (SSI) of two adjustable compression devices commercially available in 10 healthy volunteers. Ten healthy volunteers of 37.6±8.6 years old (25-50), mean, Standard Deviation (SD), and range, respectively, participated in the study. SSI was measured at the resting pressure of 30 mmHg for both ACDs at point B1. SSI was 21.9±10.3 mmHg (0-33) for Coolflex and 12.5±6.2 (0.6-24.6) for Compreflex. At a cut-off level of 10 mmHg of SSI, 10 % of volunteers for Coolflex and 30 % for Compreflex were under the cut-off level. The SSI measured in vivo made it possible to discriminate between wraps and estimate the percentage of patients who would better respond to this treatment.