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Silver - donating antimicrobial dressings for venous leg ulcers

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • there is evidence that silver dressings are no more effective than unmedicated low-adherence dressings for treating leg ulcers (1)
    • the VULCAN trial was a large randomized controlled trial that investigated the use of silver dressings for venous ulceration
      • analysis of trial data showed that the application of silver dressings beneath compression did not improve venous ulcer healing. There were no significant differences between the use of silver-donating antimicrobial dressings and non-adherent dressings without any silver or antimicrobial agent, in either the primary or secondary endpoints
      • findings in relation to the lack of benefit from silver antimicrobial dressings were robust, with no suggestion of benefit for particular dressing types or population subgroups
    • a MeReC bulletin concluded that..."routine use of silver-containing dressings under multilayer compression bandaging is not recommended for the treatment of leg ulcers. In the absence of any evidence for a clinical benefit or cost-effectiveness advantage, healthcare professionals should not use them ahead of less-expensive non-silver wound dressings.." (2)

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