wear compression garments during surgery?

Hi mnmbeck!   Yes you can wear a compression sleeve and glove/gauntlet for many procedures both surgical and diagnostic where you will be asleep due to either general anesthesia or IV sedation.  I have worn my sleeve and glove while under sedation for colonoscopy and biopsies.  I will be wearing them this week while under general anesthesia for a brief surgery.  The OR staff is well able to maintain the sterile field as needed and also monitor you continuously, so I would not worry about wearing your garments for the exchange procedure.

We are cautioned not to wear daytime compression sleeves regularly at night because many sleeves have a tendency to slip or roll down from the top of the arm.  During the daytime we are often tugging or pulling the sleeves back up without hardly thinking about it.  But when we are in a deep sleep if our sleeve rolls down, it can cause increased compression on our arms that will worsen the swelling and could possibly do damage over several hours.

If someone routinely has problems with the sleeve slipping down, they should seriously consider being measured for a new sleeve which is a better fit.  But there are other reasons we should not wear our daytime garments for prolonged or night time sleeping.

Daytime garment materials and construction work differently than night time garments.  A daytime garment is designed to help control our swelling while our bodies and muscles are in action.  Daytime garments use the constant movement of our muscles to help maintain proper compression and keep our swelling to a minimum during our daily activities.  They do not typically reduce our swelling, they keep it from getting worse.

Night time garments are constructed to work best while our bodies and muscles are at rest.  A night time garment, properly fitted, is designed to work better at reducing our swelling overnight.  Only short stretch bandage wrapping at night does a better job of reducing swelling.

From a practical viewpoint, however, how many of us take an afternoon nap or fall asleep watching TV while wearing our garments? I certainly do often and suffer no problems, but my sleeves usually tend to stay up. I suppose if someone was scheduled for a lengthy, multi-hour procedure under anesthesia it might make more sense to wear a night time garment?

P.S.  And your PS is correct that wearing your garments will be a deterrent from having your LE arm used for IVs, blood draws or blood pressures!  

In the time since developing LE I have had 4 surgeries and 1 procedure and have worn my day garments for 4 of the 5.  I had 2 cataract surgeries under 'conscious sedation'; a colonoscopy and a retina reattachment surgery (both under general) with my day garments on with all 4.   The surgery I had that I did not wear my garments, it was not possible at all to wear - surgery on LE wrist after I really messed it up.

I was a bit suprized that garments would be allowed in OR as they are not 'sterile'.  But then after more thought - in most situtations - no OR is really totally 100% sterile or getting there or away.  I did take a 'clean' set (a freshly washed set) with me to change into when I put my 'gown' on when getting ready.

There is a world of difference between taking a nap (or just sitting at a meeting or on the couch for some prolonged time with little movement) and sleeping the entire night.  Day garments are designed to be 'active' as in no really prolonged times of little to no movement over and over (as in all night every night).  Night garments are 'passive, designed for extended periods with very little, to no, movents over long time.

Forgot to add - when  had my retina surgery last Sept, the private Surgical Hospital had 'Pink Sleeves' to go on arm even if you weren't wearing your garments.t

I too have worn mine through procedures requiring anesthesia / sedation... not that its full proof of a surgeon "coming at you" and physically trying to pull your sleeve down to place the needle. IF it happens while you're awake, what are you up against when you're out to it?  After the rigmarole I went through, I now make doubly and triple sure those involved know there's NO BPs or sticks in my arms.

Neither here nor there, but you can ask the surgeon prior to the procedure to actually use the surgical marker to write on your arm No IV/BP/Needles in big letters, just know that it won't wash off for a while.  If you decide not to wear your garments here is the G-sleeve site:

http://www.g-sleeve.com./

Just had surgery on the 7th and was grateful that the pre-op nurse put the BP cuff on my ankle without being asked.

I wore my regular daytime compression sleeve and glove during my recent surgical excision of a neck node.  They used that arm for all my hospital ID and alert arm bands.  (The pink limb alert band was theirs not mine).  The surgery was under general  anesthesia but before they put me under I remember them snugly wrapping my left arm and torso in surgical drape to keep it clear of the sterile field.