system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do surgeons use intermittent pneumatic compression devices even during short surgeries?

Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit. A couple years ago I had a surgery that only lasted about 1.5 hours, but my surgeons put an IPC machine (the leg squeezy thing that prevents blood clots) on my legs anyway. wouldn’t it take more time to develop a blood clot than lying down for a few hours? Is it more of a liability thing?
gpt
Yes the chances of a dvt or blood clot are likely low, but there is virtually no harm in using the compression devices, so you might as well use them. If patients are expected to be bed-bound for days post-op, then anticoagulation drugs are often used as well.