The safety and efficacy of three-layer (3L) tubular bandaging as a treatment for
venous ulcer healing has not been evaluated despite its use in many clinical settings to treat people with venous
leg ulcers. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of 3L tubular
bandage compared with short-stretch
compression bandage to heal
venous ulcers in a multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. We randomized 45 patients with venous
leg ulcers of up to 20 cm(2) area and an ankle brachial pressure index of >0.8 from hospital outpatient
wound clinics in Victoria and Queensland, Australia. We measured time to healing and percentage reduction of
wound size from baseline to week 12. Secondary outcomes were proportion of
ulcers healed, self-reported compliance of
compression bandage, and health-related quality of life, costs, recurrence rates, and adverse events. A total of 27
ulcers healed, the proportion of healed
ulcers was higher for the 3L group (17/23 [74%] vs. 10/22 [46%]) (p = 0.05). Reported
bandage tolerance at all treatment visits was 21 (91%) in 3L group vs. 17 (73%) (p = 0.10). There was no difference between the groups in adverse events. Costs were substantially less in 3L group.