Unna boot bandages are still widely used around the world. They are popular, inelastic bandages, mostly applied with moderate or low pressure (20– 30 mmHg). It is demonstrated that higher compression pressure (initially 50– 70 mmHg in the resting position) has considerably stronger haemodynamic effects, making this so-called ‘Fischer’ bandage a suitable choice for patients with large ulcers in heavily congested legs but also with lymphoedema. These bandages have also pain-relieving properties in acute deep vein thrombosis, emphasised by Unna’s pupil, Heinrich Fischer. The effectiveness of zinc paste bandages as the most inelastic compression material without any stretch relating to physiological consequences on venous, arterial and lymphatic flow in the lower extremity, is discussed in this article.
