Article

As there is no evidence for a specific treatment for post-stroke-induced
hand oedema, rehabilitation centre Blixembosch formalized a best practice
protocol. We investigated whether the Blixembosch hand oedema protocol is usable
in daily practice and leads to lower incidence (prevention) and shorter duration
(treatment) compared with care as usual. METHODS: In a non-randomised comparative
trial, we investigated 206 post-stroke patients admitted to two Dutch
rehabilitation centres. Hand volumes were measured at least bi-weekly using a
volumeter. Treatment was started according the protocol (Blixembosch) or
following care as usual (Leijpark). Usability was assessed with a survey among
professionals. RESULTS: In the Blixembosch group, 16% developed oedema after
admission, compared with 21% in the control group (p = 0.019). Average duration
of oedema (both developed before and after admission) was 6.5 weeks in the
Blixembosch group compared with 3.1 weeks in the control group (p = 0.000).
Professionals were positive about the protocol. CONCLUSION: The study showed that
the protocol is usable in daily practice and has a small beneficial effect on
hand oedema incidence rates compared with care as usual. The negative effect on
duration of hand oedema could also be caused by the difference in prognosis
between the two groups.

Langue : ANGLAIS