Venous ulcer healing treated with conventional therapy and adjuvant laser: is there a difference?

ABSTRACT Objectives: to evaluate the effects of venous ulcer healing in patients after six months of conventional treatment and adjuvant low-power laser therapy. Methods: prospective cohort study nested in a randomized clinical trial with 38 patients, allocated into an intervention group (conventional treatment and adjuvant laser therapy) and a control group (conventional treatment). Patients were followed up as outpatients, sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected, and indicators of the outcomes Wound healing: secondary intention (1103) and Tissue integrity: skin and mucous membranes(1101) of the Nursing Outcomes Classification. Generalized estimating equations, Kaplan-Meier tests, and robust Poisson regression were used in the analysis. Results: the clinical indicators Decreased wound size and Scar formation showed a statistically significant difference in the intervention group, higher number of healed wounds, lower rate, longer time to relapse. Conclusions: laser therapy adjuvant to conventional treatment returned better results in healing and lower recurrence rates after six months of intervention.