New research from the UK has shown that compression stockings are just as effective at treating venous leg ulcers as four-layer traditional bandages, promising cost savings for the National Health Service.
The research, published in The Lancet, shows that sufferers treated using compression stockings also reported less recurrence and needed fewer nurse visits, making their use more economically viable.
Defined by the National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence (NICE) as "the loss of skin below the knee on the leg or foot, which takes more than 6 weeks to heal," venous leg ulcers are most common among older adults, aged 65 and above.
And 6 weeks may be an optimistic estimate of healing time - with research suggesting 9 months as the mean duration of these ulcers, and 66% of sufferers reporting a history of ulcerations lasting longer than 5 years.
Venous leg ulcers are extremely common in the US, affecting between 500,000 and 2 million people each year.
VenUS IV study
Venous leg ulcers occur when the veins in the leg become blocked or damaged, resulting in skin breakdown and impaired healing. These chronic wounds are painful, likely to recur and impact negatively on quality of life. Obesity and immobility also increase the risk of developing the ulcers.
Typically, leg ulcers are treated with multi-layer compression bandages. But these have disadvantages, as Dr. Jo Dumville, senior lecturer at the The University of Manchester's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, explains:
"Compression bandages are bulky, unattractive and may interfere with normal footwear; they can also be costly as they take time to apply and often require frequent nurse visits to change them."
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