obs cop,
How do you know how many of the "billions" of airline passengers die of complications of DVT? Just because we do not hear of them doesn't mean they do not exist. Drunk drivers who cause death are easy to count.
Anecdotal stories from a friend who is looking into this suggests 1 in 10,000 airline travellers are killed by DVT complications. I understand they are working on getting a more accurate figure. Also of interest is what is the corresponding figure is for travellers in trains and automobiles, and whether class of service makes a difference. Basically they just don't know.
What are the side effects of wearing a compression stocking? Everything is a risk/reward decision, medicine especially so.