New Study: Early Intervention Leads To Cost Savings in Lymphedema

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Early detection and treatment of lymphedema, before the condition has progressed to the point where physical functioning is impaired and treatment must be intensive, has been shown to result in significant cost savings.

The study, Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema: Comparing Direct Costs of a Prospective Surveillance Model and a Traditional Model of Care, by Nicole L. Stout, et al, presented at the 2nd International Congress of Lymphology in September of 2011, in Malmo, Sweden,  states that  “early intervention may reduce the need for intensive rehabilitation and may be cost saving.”  The prospective surveillance model which the article recommends “involves monitoring and screening to prevent negative sequelae from chronic diseases such as cancer.”

You can view  the press release about the article by following this link: http://www.apta.org/Media/Releases/Consumer/2012/1/6/.

The article states significant cost savings, comparing treatment of progressed lymphedema over treating lymphedema early in its progression. While this cost savings is clinically evident to practitioners working in the field it is imperative to have research-based evidence to support clinical observation. This study is a welcome step in the right direction. I would encourage you to read the press release (see link) and the article resulting from the study by following the link embedded in the press release.  

More resources and links relating to lymphedema can be found at our website here: http://www.lymphedemadepot.com/links. A guide to lymphedema related events, with a focus on Canadian events, can be found here: http://www.lymphedemadepot.com/events.

 

Welcome! The Lymphedema Association of Manitoba

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The Lymphedema Association of Manitoba (LAM) is the latest provincial lymphedema association to be formed in Canada. They are just getting started and expect to have their first official meeting early in 2012. So far they are incorporated and recruiting for membership. One of the key people in the founding of LAM has been Kim Avanthay who, as the mother of a primary lymphedema patient, has been a very motivated force in the lymphedema community for a number of years now.

The movement towards establishing provincial associations has been mostly volunteer-driven. It is the volunteers, the patients who have lymphedema or, as in Kim’s case, mothers whose children have lymphedema, that are playing an essential role in raising awareness of the condition and demanding that it be recognised as a disorder that requires treatment, management and funding.

The Lymphedema Association of Manitoba joins the ranks of the provincial associations already established (each title is a hyperlink to the organizations website);

ALA – Alberta Lymphedema Association

AQL/LAQ – Assn Québécoise du Lymphoedème/Lymphedema Assn of Québec  

BCLA – British Columbia Lymphedema Association

LAO – Lymphedema Association of Ontario

SLLA – Saskatchewan Lymphovenous Learning Association

There is also the Atlantic Clinical Lymphedema Network, made up of lymphedema treatment professionals in the four Atlantic Provinces. These professionals consult with one another and have regular teleconference meetings, building a strong base for lymphedema care in the Atlantic Provinces.

We are very proud of the work of the provincial lymphedema associations as they lead the way in raising awareness of lymphedema in their provinces and, together, in all of Canada.

For more information about the Lymphedema Association of Manitoba  please contact them at lymphmanitoba@yahoo.ca.

To keep up with lymphedema-related events across Canada, visit our website at http://www.lymphedemadepot.com, and click on the “events” link.

 

Happy New Year!

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 2011 was an exciting year for Lymphedema Depot. We attended conferences, held in-services, built relationships and introduced new products. We feel that our presence in Canada makes a difference to lymphedema patients, and this motivates us reach out even more in the coming year.

To everyone in the lymphedema community we wish a very Happy New Year.

Canadian Lymphedema Stakeholders Report Analysis Published

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CurrentOncology.com has published a paper that shows the results of the Canadian Lymphedema Framework stakeholder’s meeting. The paper presents a breakdown of the attendees at the November 2009 meeting and presents the stakeholder’s assessments of the barriers to achieving good lymphedema care for patients across the country.  While this paper refers to data collected in 2009 it is certainly still valid today. Click on the link provided, and then click on “download this pdf file” link that appears above the copyright notice.

http://www.current-oncology.com/index.php/oncology/article/view/787/731 

This important meeting identified that there is indeed a functioning lymphedema community in Canada. The work done at this meeting built a foundation of concepts and indicated needed actions. The resulting paper is recommended reading for anyone who has an interest in lymphedema.

Introducing Channel Foam

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Our clinical specialist, John Mulligan, RMT/CLT-LANA, visited the Földi Clinic in the summer of 2011 and found the therapists there using foam they called Wave Foam as padding underneath their bandaging. It was a channeled foam of medium density and it had a dramatic effect on fibrotic tissue.

Inspired by the Földi therapists and their ingenuity, we wanted to make this unique and effective padding foam available to Canadian therapists.

Lymphedema Depot is happy to present our new Channel Foam. This convolute grey foam is a half inch thick with quarter inch thick channels cut through it. These peaks and channels create high and low pressure zones and encourage lymphatic flow in a distal to proximal direction while also sinking into and softening fibrotic tissue.

Our Channel Foam comes in 2’ x 3’ sheets which, like our flat sheets of therapeutic grey foam, can be custom cut for individual patients to create the right shape and size needed for incorporatioin into a multi-layer bandage application. We are confident that this new foam will find a place in lymphedema practices all over Canada.

Therapists can order this foam directly from Lymphedema Depot by using the ordering form found on this page: http://www.lymphedemadepot.com/products/sheetfoam.  Simply click on the thumbnail picture of the order sheet at the bottom of the page.

Lymphedema Depot offers grey foam in several thicknesses to be used as padding in multi-layer lymphedema bandaging as well as the new Channel Foam. Foam padding is an essential element of multilayer lymphedema bandaging as it works to disperse the concentric rings of pressure caused by overlapping short stretch bandaging. This evenly dispersed pressure allows the multi-layer bandage to create a consistent compression gradient throughout the length of the limb.

For more information about grey foam or the Solaris line of therapeutic garments (Tribute, Caresia, ReadyWrap and Swell Spots) available from Lymphedema Depot in Canada, please visit our website at www.LymphedemaDepot.com or email us at info@LymphedemaDepot.com.

What is the Solaris Tribute?

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The Solaris Tribute is a therapeutic garment for the treatment and management of lymphedema and related disorders such as lipedema, chronic venous insufficiency and other chronic edemas.

The Solaris Tribute is a custom-made, bi-directional quilted compression garment with sewn channels that are filled with pressure-inserted medical grade chip foam. What does this mean to you?

As a bi-directional flow garment, the Tribute channels lymph fluid away from the area of the lymphatic system that has suffered damage and guides the fluid toward alternate drainage routes called collateral pathways. The sewn channels lead away from the damaged area. These channels are filled with medical grade chips of foam of varying densities. The foam chips nestle into the skin to address the skin thickening that accompanies chronic swelling. The foam chips are inserted under a specific amount of pressure, and this is part of what helps to determine the compression the garment delivers.

This skin thickening is the result of the retention of proteins and other cellular debris trapped in the swollen area. When the swelling feels doughy and retains the impression of anything that presses into it, this is due to the buildup of proteins which cling to the water molecules.

The medical grade chip foam sewn into the Tribute garment creates high and low pressure points which begin to gently break down the protein while at the same time providing subtle tissue stretch and release of the skin. This subtle stretch and release of the tissue, which happens passively while you wear the garment as you sleep at night, mimics the action of manual lymph drainage, the massage technique which stimulates the lymphatic system to take up more fluid and process it. So, while the skin thickening is being broken down, the lymph system is stimulated to process more fluid; these two actions together guide the proteins and fluid away from the congested area. This protein-rich fluid will then move on to functional lymph nodes which can break it down further.

The Solaris Tribute affects swelling in a much different way than simple compression garments. Simple compression garments simply increase the pressure on the circulatory system, inhibiting the production of interstitial fluid and encouraging the uptake of the lymph fluid. This has little effect on the protein content of the fluid and does not directly stimulate and open up the lymph system. The compression gradient of a simple compression garment is in one direction only, from distal to proximal, from the part of the limb furthest from the trunk to the part of the limb closest to the trunk. With the Solaris Tribute lymphedema garment the fluid is moved not only toward the trunk but toward the side of the body where healthy lymphatics can take up the excess fluid. This creates bi-directional gradient compression. In other words, the Solaris Tribute provides a full lymphedema treatment while you sleep. The treatment consists of massage and compression and results in a softer, less swollen limb. It is effective in the treatment of lymphedema, lipedema and mixed edemas such as the lymphedema which can accompany chronic venous insufficiency.

As a custom-made garment, the Solaris Tribute is manufactured to the exact measurements needed to fit your swollen area. A Tribute can be made to fit and treat any part of the body where swelling is a problem.

For more information about the full line of lymphedema care products made by Solaris and made available in Canada by Lymphedema Depot, please visit our website at www.LymphedemaDepot.Com.

Alberta Bound

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Earlier in  November I had the pleasure of making a trip to Alberta to attend the Alberta Lymphedema Association’s Lymphedema Education Session for Garment Fitters. Karen Van Heyst, a physiotherapist and certified lymphedema therapist, spoke to a group of nearly 20 compression garment fitters. Lymphedema Depot was on hand to introduce this extraordinary group of Calgary fitters to the Solaris line of therapeutic garments. The Tribute, Caresia, ReadyWrap and Swell Spots were well-received by the group.

ALA President Diane Martin and the rest of the Alberta Lymphedema Association are to be commended for producing this ground-breaking event. Compression garment fitters are a crucial link in the supply chain of providing appropriate compression garments to patients living with lymphedema and related disorders, yet they rarely get specialised training in understanding the condition of lymphedema.This evening was a great example of what can be done to remedy that situation. We hope to see more events like this as other regions adopt the practice of presenting this crucial information to compression garment fitters.

To learn more about the Alberta Lymphedema Association visit their website at http://www.albertalymphedema.com.

To learn more about Lymphedema Depot and the Solaris line of therapeutic garments for the management of lymphedema, lipedema, chronic venous insufficiency and related disorders, visit our website at www.LymphedemaDepot.com.

Life at the Life After Breast Cancer Conference

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On October 19th Lymphedema Depot attended the Life After Breast Cancer conference presented by Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. For us it was conveniently close. We didn’t have our own display table, so were  we were able to attend a conference without having to stay in the vendor’s area! We attended sessions and visited around, we observed, listened and engaged. The Life After Breast Cancer conference is focused on patients, survivors of breast cancer.

The whole experience was inspiring. It was a privilege to be in a room with so many breast cancer survivors! There were all kinds of women present, and they all have this one thing in common; they are surviving. One of the major concerns we heard expressed was the fear of lymphedema. Of course, they had many other concerns as well. The speakers, most of them on staff at Juravinski Cancer Centre, addressed these concerns in a very professional, informative yet reassuring manner.

The Life After Breast Cancer Conference only happens every other year. You can learn more about it by visiting their website. The organizers have graciously posted some of the Power Point presentations on the website, so you can  go through this information and participate in the learning opportunity that was offered. The website is http://www.jcc.hhsc.ca. Click on Conference Resources 2011 to see the presentations.

If you share the concerns about lymphedema that we heard expressed at the conference, please visit our web pge at www.LymphedemaDepot.com. There you will find products, resources and information that may help you as you learn more about this treatable and manageable conditon.

 

The Hands-Free Caresia

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Earlier this summer we introduced the new Caresia Wrist-to-Axilla arm sleeve bandage liner. The new sleeve  does not cover the hand but rather, as the name implies, starts at the wrist and goes up to the level of the armpit, also known as the axilla. The Wrist to Axilla Caresia alllows a patient to have their hand free while still applying the required compression. It can be worn with the Caresia Glove or Gauntlet if hand compression is needed or desired. Caresia Gloves and Gauntlets can be easily removed for tasks or washing  and can be easily re-donned as needed. The new Wrist-to-Axilla style does not replace the original Caresia Bandage Liner arm sleeve.The original is a one-piece, MCP’s (knuckles) to axilla style with a thumb hole and provides coverage over the dorsum of the hand to the knuckles as well as covering the arm. The new style does not cover the hand and simply adds another option to the line of Caresia upper extremity garments.

Like all Caresia products, the new design helps simplify the active phase of therapy; the wearer simply dons their Caresia and wraps over the garment with short-stretch bandaging to achieve the desired compression. The foam chips settle into the fibrotic tissue and the quilted channels guide the excess fluid toward healthy lymphatic areas.

Some people like to wear the Caresia without overwrap. This can be adequate for mild lymphedema.  Talk to your fitter or therapist about which option is best for you.