Compression therapy: Unna boot applied to venous injuries: an integrative review of the literature

Objective: To analyze the literature related to the types of therapies for venous injuries with emphasis on use of the Unna boot, and to investigate and discuss the main aspects related to its use compared to other techniques. Method: Integrative review of the literature of the last five years throu...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cardoso, Luciana Ventura, Godoy, José Maria Pereira de, Godoy, Maria de Fátima Guerreiro, Czorny, Rildo César Nunes
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2019
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
Repository:Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP (Online)
Language:English
Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.usp.br:article/155547
Online Access:https://www.revistas.usp.br/reeusp/article/view/155547
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Leg Ulcer
Varicose Ulcer
Venous Insufficiency
Compression Bandages
Wound Healing
Review
Description
Summary:Objective: To analyze the literature related to the types of therapies for venous injuries with emphasis on use of the Unna boot, and to investigate and discuss the main aspects related to its use compared to other techniques. Method: Integrative review of the literature of the last five years through searches in the following databases: VHL, LILACS, BDENF, SciELO, MEDLINE/PubMed. Results: Twenty-two publications were identified, with 15,931 cases among adult or elderly individuals, whose mean age was 60 (35-78) years or greater with no sex differences. The Unna boot presented a shorter healing time than the single and two-layer elastic bandage. Conclusion: Although other compression techniques may prove to be more efficient than the Unna boot by adding more technology, the boot stands out as a traditional low-cost dressing. Multilayer bandage is a gold standard technique. This review demonstrated the best option may not be the Unna boot, because it requires a higher healing time compared to the multilayer bandage, but it meets the expectation with a high rate of treatment efficiency, also when compared to simple dressing, single or two-layer bandage.