Electrical stimulation in the treatment of chronic venous ulceration

A clinical study was conducted over a 2 year period to assess the effect of four different treatments on the healing of venous leg ulcers. The treatments consisted of standard local applications of povidone-iodine or normal saline, with and without electrode therapy. At weekly intervals, ulcer areas were measured using a newly developed technique. This allowed time-to-heal data to be analysed. A comparison of the four treatments revealed a highly significant retarding effect on ulcer healing by the povidone-iodine plus electrode treatment. There were no statistical differences for comparisons made between povidone-iodine alone and normal saline alone or for normal saline with and without electrode. Covariates were considered in the analyses. Patient sex and initial ulcer area were identified as significant factors in ulcer's time-to-heal (P less than 0.05), while patient's smoking habits, age and ulcer's initial total organism count had no influence.