SATRA STM 579 Hosiery compression tester

Compression hosiery is commonly used to offset the effects of varicose veins, but also has other medical applications, such as helping to reduce the potential for artery blockages caused by blood clotting (embolisms) during operations. This form of hosiery is also becoming popular for people to wear as a preventative measure against deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on long-haul flights.

Three standards, BS 6612:1985 – 'Specification for graduated compression hosiery', BS 7563:1999 – 'Specification for non-prescriptive graduated support hosiery' and BS 7672:1993 – 'Specification for compression, stiffness and labelling of anti-embolism hosiery', require the use of the HATRA pressure tester, which was developed by the (now defunct) Hosiery and Allied Trades Research Association.

SATRA STM 579 has been developed to be used in place of the HATRA Hose Tester MkII which is no longer available.

The device consists of two main parts – a garment former and a measuring head. The hose is loaded onto the adjustable former, simulating the wearing of the garment on a human leg. The measuring head is pressed against the stretched fabric at various points along the length of the leg and displays a value for circumferential tension in the fabric, The results are converted to give a value for pressure.