The effect of the Ankle Pump Exercise (APE) counter system assisted ankle pump motion in patients after femoral neck fracture

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of the Ankle Pump Exercise (APE) counter system on moderate to high-risk Venous thromboembolism (VTE) after femoral neck fracture surgery. METHODS: From June 2021 to June 2022, a total of 140 patients with moderate and high-risk VTE after femoral neck fracture surgery treated at the Department of Orthopedics of a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang were included and divided into observation (70 cases) and control (70 cases) groups according to whether APE counter system was used or not. The control group was given routine oral propaganda, and the observation group was given a comprehensive nursing intervention with APE counter system on the basis of the control group’s treatment. The compliance rates of the two groups on the postoperative 3st, 5rd, and 7th days were compared. Moreover, the General self-efficacy scale (GSES) was used to evaluate self-efficacy before and after exercise. RESULTS: The compliance rates of the control group and the observation group on the postoperative 3st, 5rd, and 7th days were 74.3% vs. 85.7%, 67.1% vs. 85.7%, and 61.4% vs. 82.9%. On the 5rd and 7th days, the compliance of the observation group was obviously higher than that of the control group. Moreover, the mean postoperative GSES score was also significantly higher than that in the control group (23.20 ± 3.516 vs. 25.31 ± 4.583, P < 0.05, values are expressed in mean ± standard). CONCLUSION: APE counter system can significantly improve the compliance and self-efficacy of patients with moderate and high-risk VTE after lower limb fracture surgery.