Non-contact low-frequency ultrasound therapy compared with UK standard of care for venous leg ulcers: a single-centre, assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial

White, Judith, Ivins, Nicola M., Wilkes, Antony, Carolan-Rees, Grace and Harding, Keith Gordon 2016. Non-contact low-frequency ultrasound therapy compared with UK standard of care for venous leg ulcers: a single-centre, assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial. International Wound Journal 13 (5) , pp. 833-842. 10.1111/iwj.12389

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Abstract

‘Hard-to-heal’ wounds are those which fail to heal with standard therapy in an orderly and timely manner and may warrant the use of advanced treatments such as non-contact low-frequency ultrasound (NLFU) therapy. This evaluator-blinded, single-site, randomised controlled trial, compared NLFU in addition to UK standard of care [SOC: (NLFU + SOC)] three times a week, with SOC alone at least once a week. Patients with chronic venous leg ulcers were eligible to participate. All 36 randomised patients completed treatment (17 NLFU + SOC, 19 SOC), and baseline demographics were comparable between groups. NLFU + SOC patients showed a −47% (SD: 38%) change in wound area; SOC, −39% (38%) change; and difference, −7·4% [95% confidence intervals (CIs) −33·4–18·6; P = 0·565]. The median number of infections per patient was two in both arms of the study and change in quality of life (QoL) scores was not significant (P = 0·490). NLFU + SOC patients reported a substantial mean (SD) reduction in pain score of −14·4 (14·9) points, SOC patients' pain scores reduced by −5·3 (14·8); the difference was −9·1 (P = 0·078). Results demonstrated the importance of high-quality wound care. Outcome measures favoured NLFU + SOC over SOC, but the differences were not statistically significant. A larger sample size and longer follow-up may reveal NLFU-related improvements not identified in this study.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Compression; Quality of life; Ultrasound therapy; Venous leg ulcers; Wound healing
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN:	1742-4801
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 November 2016
Date of Acceptance:	29 September 2014
Last Modified:	06 May 2023 04:20
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/84750

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