New Cost-Effective Lymphedema Compression Garment Undergoing Clinical Trials
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Lymphedema Compression Garment
A new treatment for leg lymphedema is being tested by scientists from Flinders University, Australia. This new treatment is believed to bring new hope for patients that suffer from this condition.
The new treatment is based on the usage of a novel compression outfit that helps the patients organism eliminate toxins and other noxious fluids.
Lymphedema is a medical condition also known as lymphatic obstruction. It’s defined by the fluid retention caused by either a blocked or a damaged lymphatic system. The accumulation of this fluid can be a risk factor for various infections. Congenital disorders, obesity, some infections and even different types of cancer treatments can cause damage to a patients lymphatic system.
The current treatments for lymphedema include the use of compression garments and different types of manual lymphatic therapy but these treatments are either time-consuming for both the therapists and the patients or just too expensive for most patients.
The director of the LRU (Lymphedema Research Unit), professor Neil Piller, says that the new compression garment, called Flexitouch®, has more inflating chambers than the older models and spans from the abdomen down to the foot. The older models of compression garments only focused on the lower legs and had 10 inflating chambers, whilst the new Flexitouch® has 28 of those chambers.
“This new device puts external pressure on various parts of the leg where the fluid is accumulating, starting in the abdomen and working down, to promote the natural movement of fluid out of the tissues and into the lymph system and eventually out of the body”, said professor Piller.
The study conducted by the scientists from Flinders University is also being conducted at two clinics, in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It is a clinical trial that requires the 16 participating patients to wear the device for at least one hour a day, five times a week.
Jan Douglass, one of the coordinators of the study, says that this new device is accessible and cost-effective due to the patients being able to use it at home, instead of having to visit the doctor for each treatment session. This also allows patients, especially those living far away from therapists, to better control their own health.
“Lymphedema needs to be managed on a daily basis so anything patients can do at home is going to be much more effective than going to a therapist once a week, even if you can afford it”, notes Jan Douglass.
The official results of this study will be available later this year, but Jan Douglass already points out that patients participating in the clinical trial have already shown positive reactions. They have reported a visible improvement to their health after using the new Flexitouch® garment.