Study designs of evaluations included in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicit. Three of the included studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs); the design of the others was unclear, they did not appear to have a control group.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) or other forms of lower limb pressure devices were eligible for inclusion. The included studies employed various methods and combinations of methods of compression. The duration of treatment also varied between patients within studies and between studies.
Participants included in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicit. By implication, eligible participants were those with lower limb arterial disease. The authors appear to have used the terms 'claudication' and 'peripheral arterial disease' (PAD) to select the studies for inclusion. The definition of disease, disease severity and the age of participants varied between the included studies (details were given in the report).
Outcomes assessed in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicit. The authors appear to have used the term 'arterial hemodynamics' to select studies with information on arterial flow dynamics. The included studies reported a variety of outcome measures including arterial blood flow, resting pain, claudication distance, relief, improvement, ulcer healing and limb salvage.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.