TY  - INPR
T1  - Reusable short stretch compression for the treatment of a recurring VLU
T5  - Poster presented at Wounds Australia National Conference 2021
LA  - English
AU  - Ashford, Rose
AB  - Situation
Patient is a 73 year old lady who has been suffering with venous leg ulcers since 2016. On presentation, she had leg ulcers measuring more than 50cm2 which were very painful with high levels of exudate.

Action(s) taken/ treatment provided
Compression therapy was initially commenced with a long stretch compression bandage. This was changed to a 2 layer resuable short stretch system due to ease of use and patient comfort. This was a cost effective option as patient was able to wash, re-roll and reuse the bandages throughout her treatment from September 2019 to February 2020. The bandages were skin friendly and comfortable for the patient who is prone to dermatitis. The wounds were managed with alternate combinations of ionic gel dressing for pain relief, cadexomer iodine, antimicrobial dressings and biocellulose hydrobalance dressings.

Outcome(s)
In the first 4 weeks, the ulcers had reduced in size by 50% and after 6 months of treatment the wounds had fully closed.

Lesson(s) learned
In the absence of corrective surgery, compression therapy has been found to be the most effective treatment for venous leg ulcers (VLUs)1. Achieving healing rests on patients’ adherence to treatment and in this case it was found that compression bandages which are both cost effective and comfortable for the patient are more likely to encourage patient concordance. Compression therapy alongside effective wound care resulted in full healing for this patient after 4 years of suffering with venous leg ulcers.
CY  - Virtual Conference, Australia
Y2  - 1620079200
ER  -