Enhancing compression therapy: the impact of real-time pressure monitoring

What is it about?

Abstract Introduction Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are chronic wounds arising from venous insufficiency and are associated with pain, impaired mobility, reduced quality of life and substantial healthcare costs. Compression therapy (CT) remains the standard of care; however, its effectiveness relies on achieving and maintaining therapeutic sub-bandage pressure. In routine practice, pressure application is highly variable, and target pressures are often not consistently reached. Objective This service evaluation assessed whether incorporating a multi-sensor pressure monitoring system into CT delivery could improve application accuracy, pressure maintenance and ultimately wound healing outcomes in patients with VLUs. Methods Six patients with chronic VLUs participated in a service evaluation led by a specialist wound care provider. Each underwent two sequential treatment phases of equal length: (i) unguided standard compression therapy, and (ii) standard therapy guided by real-time feedback from a wireless multi-sensor device. Prospective data were collected on wound healing, sub-bandage pressures, and treatment adherence. Results Six patients (seven limbs) were treated, with five included in the wound healing analysis. Monitoring adherence was high, averaging 1.78 data transmissions per day. Use of guided compression increased the proportion of applications within the target pressure range (66% versus 39%) and maintained therapeutic pressures more consistently throughout treatment (58.2% versus 26.6%). Sub-target pressures were reduced. Healing rates improved in 80% of patients, with mean daily wound area reduction increasing from 1.31% to 2.3%. Conclusions Integrating pressure-monitoring technology into compression therapy enhanced consistency in achieving therapeutic pressures and was associated with improved wound healing in this real-world service evaluation. These findings highlight the potential of embedded sensor technologies to optimise compression therapy outcomes in clinical practice.

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