ABSTRACT There is an urgent need to focus research and development work towards the treatment of venous leg ulcers because about 1% of the adult population suffers from active ulceration during their lifetime in the UK alone and costs the National Health Service (NHS) £600 million per annum. Similarly, venous ulceration is a common disease affecting around 1% of adult population in Australia. The direct and indirect cost of the treatment for this condition in Germany is more than DM 1 billion. In the US about 2 million working days are lost each year because of leg ulcer problems and the treatment cost is enormous. In an on-going research and development programme funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and 5 major UK companies for developing novel compression therapy system for the treatment of venous leg ulcers, the Centre for Materials Research and Innovation (CMRI) has developed novel bandages and bandaging techniques. The results of the pressure distribution of developed padding and existing Type-2 short stretch as well as Type-3c high compression commercial bandages will be discussed. The Pressure Profiling Instrument developed at Bolton Institute which consists of 8 pressure sensors (2 at ankle, 3 at lower calf and 3 at upper calf) has been used for studying the pressure profile around the lower part of the leg. The pressure mapping of two-layer, three-layer and four-layer systems will be highlighted. The study as regards the development of novel compression bandages based on the results of the pressure profile programme will also be presented.
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