Table 8.

—[Section 2.7.2] Summary of Findings: Should Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Be Used in Hospitalized Nonsurgical Patients With Restricted Mobility?^{25,51,172,173}

Outcome	Source of Data	Quality of the Evidence (GRADE)	Relative Effect (95% CI)	Anticipated Absolute Effects
				Baseline Riska	Risk Difference with IPC (95% CI)
Symptomatic DVT	Imputed data	Moderate due to serious indirectnessb	RR, 0.43 (0.32-0.58)	Low risk
				8 per 1,000	1 fewer per 1,000 (from 1 fewer to 1 fewer)
				High risk
				67 per 1,000	38 fewer per 1,000 (from 46 fewer to 28 fewer)
Nonfatal pulmonary embolism	Imputed data	Low due to indirectnessb and imprecisionc	RR, 0.82 (0.41-1.62)	Low risk
				4 per 1,000	1 fewer per 1,000 (from 1 fewer to 1 more)
				High risk
				39 per 1,000	7 fewer per 1,000 (from 23 fewer to 24 more)
Overall mortality	Imputed data	Low due to indirectnessb and imprecisionc	RR, 1.03 (0.42-2.57)	45 per 1,000	1 more per 1,000 (from 76 fewer to 71 more)
Skin complications	Not reported	…	…	…	…

See Table 1 and 4 legends for expansion of abbreviations.

^aBaseline risk for DVT and PE are derived from the RAM by Barbar et al.⁹ Baseline risk for mortality is derived from the control arm of medical patients in a meta-analysis (Dentali et al²⁴).

^bSerious indirectness is considered because: RR for PE is derived from surgical patients (Roderick et al⁵⁰). RR data are presented for IPC used as monotherapy because this is most relevant to the way IPCs are used in medical patients (ie, in patients who cannot receive anticoagulation). If IPCs are used alone or as adjunct to anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy, RR is 0.77 (0.41-1.43). This does not change the conclusions of this evidence profile. Another element of indirectness is that DVT in these surgical patients was primarily asymptomatic DVT as ascertained by systematic imaging tests. RR for proximal asymptomatic DVT was similar (0.52; 95% CI, 0.37-0.73). RR data are presented for IPC used as monotherapy because this is most relevant to the way IPCs are used in medical patients (ie, in patients who cannot receive anticoagulation). If IPCs are used alone or as adjunct to anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy, RR is 0.49 (0.37-0.63). This does not change the conclusions of this evidence profile.

^cWe will consider the presence of serious imprecision when there are <300 events in total (events in treatment and control patients) or when CIs include appreciable harms and benefits.