Authors (including presenting author) :
Leung K.T., Chan C.K., Chan O.N., Yiu P.Y., Leung K.K., Siu H.L., Cheung Y.P., Choi K.L., Wong S.K.L., Tsai M.T., Chan K.W., Chan T.J.
Affiliation :
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Venous leg ulcers (VLU) are an ongoing burden to healthcare system. It impacts both the workload of healthcare providers and the quality of life of patients due to the high recurrence rate and non-healing rate, wound pain, leg edema and impaired mobility. Compression therapy is a standard treatment for VLU. There are several types of compression therapy. However, there is no standard practice established in local hospital. To bridge this service gap, a study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of three-layer tubular compression therapy in VLU.
Objectives :
To examine the effectiveness of the three-layer tubular compression therapy on lower limb ulceration.
Methodology :
A quantity control study was conducted. Three-layer tubular compression therapy was applied in the interventional group while simple crepe bandage as usual practice was applied in the conventional group. Standard clinical wound management was kept on both groups. Outcome measures included wound size, ankle and calf circumference were recorded until patients discharged.
Result & Outcome :
Result and Outcome:
23 participants were recruited and assigned to interventional group (n=13) and conventional group (n=10). A significant reduction in wound size was showed in interventional group (p=0.027, paired t-test) when compared with conventional group (p=0.677, paired t-test). Moreover, there was a significant reduction in ankle circumference in interventional group (p=0.044, paired t-test) while there was no significant reduction in ankle circumference in conventional group (p=0.074, paired t-test). However, there was no significant difference in reduction of calf circumference between interventional (p=0.091, paired t-test) and conventional group (p=0.109, paired t-test).
Conclusion:
The results of this study showed that usage of three-layer tubular compression therapy was superior compared with conventional practice in promoting ulcer healing and ankle edema control. In further study, it is worth to explore the effectiveness of application of three-layered tubular compression therapy in the whole patients’ journey regarding in wound healing progress, promotion of early discharge and help in establishing evidence-based practice guidelines in the future.
