Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb;40(1):47-53.
doi: 10.5114/ada.2022.124709. Epub 2023 Feb 27.

The effectiveness of two different sub-bandage pressure values on healing and quality of life outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers

Vesna Karanikolic  1   2 , Aleksandra Ignjatovic  1 , Mirjana Marinkovic  1 , Lidija Djordjevic  1
Affiliations

The effectiveness of two different sub-bandage pressure values on healing and quality of life outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers

Vesna Karanikolic et al. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Introduction: Venous ulcers account for over 80% of chronic wounds in the lower extremities. Venous ulcers lead to a significant decrease in the patients' quality of life.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of two different sub-bandage pressure values on healing and quality of life outcomes.

Material and methods: The study included 116 outpatients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs), one group with a moderate compression pressure of 35-40 mm Hg and the second with a high pressure > 45 mm Hg. The Kaplan-Meier curve and log rank test were used to estimate healing by type of compression. Quality of life measures included: Quality of Life Index (QL), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Patients were followed for 24 weeks.

Results: Kaplan-Maier analysis showed that a high pressure leads to a higher proportion of healed VLUs, compared to the moderate pressure (p = 0.011). QL, GDS and NPRS at the beginning were equalized between the groups. In patients with a high compression, there was a statistically significant increase in QL (p = 0.005), decrease in GDS (p = 0.040) and NPRS (p = 0.002) during 24 weeks. In patients with moderate compressions there was a statistically significant increase in QL (p = 0.013).

Conclusions: Patients who received high pressure, healed faster. When a high pressure was applied, there was a statistically significant increase in QL, decrease in GDS and NPRS compared to the group of patients to whom the moderate pressure was applied.

Keywords: quality of life; sub-bandage pressure; venous leg ulcers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the progress through the phases of a parallel randomized trial: (A) group with a moderate pressure and (B) group with a high pressure
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan-Meier healing curve with respect to the compression type
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anand S, Dean C, Nettleton R, et al. Health related quality of life tools for venous-ulcerated patients. Br J Nurs 2003; 12: 48-59. - PubMed
    1. Abbade LPF, Lastoria S. Venous ulcer: epidemiology, physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment. Int J Dermatol 2005; 44: 449-56. - PubMed
    1. Howard A, Davies AH. Health-related quality of life in patients with venous ulceration. Phlebology 2001; 16: 12-6.
    1. Jones J, Barr W, Robinson I, et al. Depression in patients with chronic venous ulceration. Br J Nurs 2006; 15: s17-23. - PubMed
    1. Edwards H, Finlayson K, Skerman H, et al. Identification of symptom clusters in patients with chronic venous leg ulcers. J Pain Symptom Manage 2014; 47: 867-75. - PubMed