Prevention of deep venous thrombosis in patients with acute spinal cord injuries: use of rotating treatment tables.

A randomized clinical trial of 15 patients with acute spinal cord injuries was performed to test the hypothesis that rotating treatment tables prevent deep venous thrombosis in this population. Four of 5 control (nonrotated) patients developed distal and proximal thrombi, assessed by 125I fibrinogen leg scans and impedance plethysmography. In comparison, only 1 of 10 treated (rotated) patients developed both distal and proximal thrombosis (P = 0.007). These results suggest but do not prove that rotating treatment tables prevent the development of proximal deep venous thrombosis in spinal cord-injured patients. Larger clinical trials are needed to confirm this heretofore undocumented benefit of rotating treatment tables.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes