NARA Socks Project Aimed at Dissemination of Compression Therapy and Revival of Local Industry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In Japan "Monozukuri" stands for the manufacturing industry and its spirituality and culture. It doesn’t only mean to make things, but also the traditional Japanese techniques, craftsmanship, and dedication to continuous improvement. Koryo City has a population of 30,000 people. It’s referred to as "Town of Socks" and is the largest producer of socks in Japan. The manufacturers are highly reputed for their technical skills and capabilities, and supply products to overseas luxury brands. However, due to the large quantity of imported products to Japan, the production volume has dropped greatly from the peak period. Japan is prone to many natural disasters. The Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a huge tsunami and resulted in over 16,000 deaths. Therefore it is necessary to enlighten people affected by disasters about thrombosis prevention. The cases of thrombosis during a disaster is reported to be about 8%. I asked local medical institutions, stocking manufacturers, and university students for cooperation. This resulted in the creation of one elastic stocking. The purpose of this project is to enlighten people about the prevention of thrombosis and reconstruction of the local industry. METHODS: The research period was from January to March 2017. There are 30 objects (M14/F16, 34.5±9.3). We studied changes in the circumference of the leg below the knee; the improvements of the blood circulation in the legs before and after wearing the compression stockings using a sonogram, and investigated the compression pressure while wearing the stockings (Fig.1). RESULTS: The results revealed that the circumference of the leg below the knee showed a decreasing tendency after wearing the compression stockings. The peak velocity of the popliteal vein tended to increase 20 minutes after wearing the compression stockings (Fig.2). CONCLUSION: The compression stockings seemed to be effective for promoting venous return and preventing deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs in healthy people. I hope to reduce suffering caused by human thrombosis and to revive the local industry. ASVS2019 Asian Society for Vascular Surgery 2019 Topic : Venous & Thromboemboli DRAFT Last Updated 2019-06-26 12:01:16