Comparison of the Mechanical Properties of Two Competitive Compression Wrap Systems

Medical compression therapy relies on a simple and efficient mechanical principle: the application of an elastic garment such as socks, stockings, pantyhose or bandages, around the leg to improve the overall hemodynamics by increasing venous blood flow, decreasing venous blood volume, reducing reflux in diseased veins and reducing elevated venous pressure. The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of two competitive compression wrap systems, bandage A* and bandage B^.

The static stiffness index and compression provided by the two systems was measured on eight healthy volunteers using a PicoPress. The moisture vapor transmission and moisture vapor runoff were measured using standard methods. There was no significant difference in compression between bandages A and B when the subjects were at rest (p = 0.19) or standing (p = 0.48). However, bandage A did show a larger increase in compression from resting to standing than bandage B, which corresponds to the higher stiffness of bandage A. The moisture vapor transmission test evaluates the rate of moisture transmission through the bandage. The average MVTR of bandage A was 3964.2 ± 627.9 g/m²/day, and the average MVTR of bandage B was 1805.4 ± 274.2 g/m²/day, shown in Figure 2. The average MVTR of bandage A was significantly higher than that of B, p = 0.008. Moisture runoff tests the moisture absorption prior to water running off the bandage. The foam under layer of bandage A absorbed significantly much more water than the under layer of bandage B, 31.99 ± 0.96 ml vs.  0.98 ± 0.36, p <0.001(α = 0.05).

Overall, when comparing the mechanical properties of two competitive compression wrap systems, there was no significant difference in their stiffness nor the amount of compression they apply. However, Bandage A had a significantly higher MVTR and moisture absorption than Bandage B.