Various therapeutic approaches have been developed to manage venous ulcers. In this study the effectiveness of a hydrocolloid dressing (Comfeel Ulcer Dressing) in comparison to the Unna boot, the prototype of rigid bandages, was evaluated. Prospective, comparative study. University hospital. Sixty patients diagnosed with post-thrombotic chronic venous insufficiency with venous ulcers were randomly assigned to two groups of 30 patients. In group A, the Unna boot, and in group B, hydrocolloid

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... sing in addition to the elastic compression were used. The two groups were compared in terms of 1) complete healing, 2) weekly wound surface reduction, 3) time to complete healing, 4) performance characteristics (ease-of-use score), 5) pain during application and at home, 6) application time. The duration of the ulcers was 16.6 +/- 5.8 weeks in group A and 16.9 +/- 6.2 in group B (p >0.05). Previous ulcer recurrence was 74% (20/27 patients) in group A and 73% (19/26 patients) in group B (p >0.05). The initial ulcer size was 6.38 +/- 1.2 cm2 in group A and 6.19 +/- 0.8 cm2 in group B (p >0.05). The complete healing rates were 74.07% (20/27) in group A and 80. 76% (21/26) in group B (p >0.05). The weekly wound surface reductions were 1.28 +/- 0.72 cm2/week and 1.16 +/- 0.38 cm2/week in groups A and B, respectively (p >0.05). The ulcer healing time was 6.85 +/- 3.60 weeks in group A, whereas it was 6.65 +/- 3.31 weeks in group B (p >0.05). Ease-of-use score was 9.04 +/- 2.38 in group A and 17.27 +/- 3.27 in group B and the difference was significant (p <0.0001). A higher degree of pain was reported by the patients who were treated with the Unna boot, both during application (group A 3.69 +/- 1.35, group B 1.88 +/- 1.48, p <0.0001) and at home (group A, 3.27 +/- 1.08, group B, 1.88 +/- 1.11, p <0.0001). The average time spent on Unna boot changes was 150.59 +/- 34.73 min, compared to 134.54 +/- 43.39 min in group B (p >0.05). These results demonstrate the superiority of hydrocolloid dressing plus elastic compression treatment in terms of patient convenience.