A comparison of compression standards

Lymed » What is a pressure garment? » A comparison of compression standards

In order to understand the mechanisms behind the therapy with compression stockings there exist many studies. Most of the studies tell what the values of compression are in vivo at the patients. These are unique results and not really reproducible.

For a neutral and reproducible testing method in Europe for medical compression stockings, couple of standards have been developed like in Germany RAL-GZG standard, in France AFNOR and in Great Britain BSI. These standards include exactly defined procedures how to classify a medical compression stocking. This is a way to make stockings on the market comparable without the influences of the individual patient.

Preliminary ENV 12718 was created as a mutual European standard, but in the end it was refused by the majority of the members of the standardization committee after 13 years. Only the German standard RAL-GZG took over the reasonable requirements of the ENV 12718, so today the RAL standard reflects best the proposed European standard.

There was an effort in the US market to get a standard for this area too. The standardization group could not define a mutual method, but it agreed on the requirements of the European ENV 12817, excluding the pressure ranges, to be used in US. As mentioned earlier, ENV 12817 is mainly realized in RAL-GZG standard. So, the worldwide situation today is, that the RAL-GZG standard is used as basic requirement for certifying the medical compression stockings and it guarantees the highest quality of them.

Lymed products are made to meet the requirements of ENV 12718 EU prestandard completely.

 

EU prestandard pressure classes for compression

A Very Mild 10 – 14 mmHg 1.33 – 1.86 kPa
I Mild 15 – 21 mmHg 1.99 – 2.79 kPa
II Moderate 23 – 32 mmHg 3.06 – 4.26 kPa
III Strong 34 – 46 mmHg 4.53 – 6.13 kPa
IV Very Strong > 49 mmHg > 6.53 kPa

French pressure classes for compression

I Mild 10 – 15 mmHg 1.33 – 1.99 kPa
II Moderate 15 – 20 mmHg 1.99 – 2.66 kPa
III Strong 20 – 36 mmHg 2.66 – 4.79 kPa
IV Very Strong > 36 mmHg >4.79 kPa

German pressure classes for compression

I Mild 18 – 21 mmHg 2.39 – 2.79 kPa
II Moderate 23 – 32 mmHg 3.06 – 4.26 kPa
III Strong 34 – 46 mmHg 4.53 – 6.13 kPa
IV Very Strong > 49 mmHg > 6.53 kPa

British pressure classes for compression

I Mild 14 – 17 mmHg 1.86 – 2.26 kPa
II Moderate 18 – 24 mmHg 2.39 – 3.19 kPa
III Strong 25 – 35 mmHg 3.33 – 4.66 kPa
IV Very Strong N/A N/A

US pressure classes for compression

I Mild 15 – 20 mmHg 1.99 – 2.66 kPa
II Moderate 20 – 30 mmHg 2.66 – 3.99 kPa
III Strong 30 – 40 mmHg 3.99 – 5.32 kPa
IV Very Strong N/A N/A