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

Abstract

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.