Application of bacterial cellulose film as a wound dressing in varicose vein surgery: A randomized clinical trial

Chronic venous insufficiency is common all over the world. It is often related to lower limb varicose veins. Surgical treatment is necessary in most cases but the management of the operative wounds remains a challenge. Nowadays, there is no consensus on which is the ideal dressing for covering operative wounds, but features such as low cost, hypoallergenicity, and good adherence are expected. In this study, a material that meets all these features, the bacterial cellulose film (BCF), was evaluated in patients who underwent varicose vein surgery.

A randomized, prospective clinical trial was carried out at the Angiology and Vascular Surgery Department of the Hospital das Clínicas/EBSERH - UFPE, from May 2023 to September 2024. The study included 55 patients who underwent varicose vein surgery, divided in two groups: an experimental group, which used a BCF to cover microincisions, and a control group. which used microporous tape. Between postoperative days 4 and 6, patients were assessed for pain, itching, and wound appearance using the Southampton Wound Assessment Scale. The groups were homogeneous in all demographic data, presence of comorbidities, and Clinical-Etiology-Anatomy-Pathophysiology Clinical classification.

Pain on removal was more common in the control group with a mean scale score of 3.46 ± 3.26 compared with 0.63 ± 1.38 (P < .001).

There was no statistical difference between the groups in itching and wound healing. BCF showed healing results comparable with microporous tape, with the advantage of generating less pain on removal.