Inflatable stockings 'help stroke patients' Researchers at Edinburgh University have discovered that a device which squeezes the legs and could save hundreds of lives a year among people who have suffered a stroke. The team gave thigh-length inflatable stockings to nearly 3,000 patients. The treatment helped reduce clotting in the veins by increasing blood flow. Professor Martin Dennis, who leads the research team, told Today presenter John Humphrys that the results will be presented at the European stroke conference in London today.