Antimicrobial dressings are increasingly being used beneath compression therapy to treat venous leg ulcers. However, there is currently a lack of high-quality evidence to support their use in preference to substantially cheaper, low/non-adherent dressings. A cost-effectiveness study (the VULCAN trial) is currently underway which will compare the effectiveness of silver-donating dressings and low/nonadherent dressings for the management of venous leg ulcers. This article will discuss the purpose of the study and the problems faced by the research team in conducting a large randomised controlled trial.