| LYMPHLAND |
| Published: August 31, 2007 12:00 am
Treating the swelling effects of lymphedema By Rx for Health , Kathleen Edwards Eagle-Tribune Lymphedema is a very common condition affecting more than 3 million Americans. However, very few people have a true understanding of what it is. Lymphedema is the swelling of a body part. It is most often found in the arms and legs, but may also affect the face, trunk, abdomen or genital area. In order to classify swelling as lymphedema, the fluid must not only be water-based but also contain proteins. To understand where this fluid comes from and the significance of what it contains, you must first have an understanding of the lymphatic system and how it works. A two-layered system comprised of a superficial and a deep layer, the lymphatic system is present in all of our bodies. It consists of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes that, with a few exceptions, run through all areas of the body with a blood supply. While lymph nodes vary from person to person, we average about 600 to 700 lymph nodes throughout our bodies. The majority are positioned in the intestines and head or neck area, where they act as a powerful line of defense against common entry ways for pathogens, better known as germs. Lymph nodes primarily protect us by filtering harmful materials like cancer cells, pathogens, dust and dirt, and improving immunity through the production of antibodies. The lymph vessels help to move the lymph fluid away from our vital tissues to the lymph nodes, taking along with it waste products, bacteria, dead cells and large cells that our body cannot transport or break down. Here, these waste products are broken down and destroyed, leaving any beneficial fluid to be transported back to our heart and lungs to re-enter the blood stream. There are multiple causes of lymphedema. One common type results from surgery or radiation used as part of cancer treatment. Other common causes can be surgical procedures in which lymph nodes are removed (i.e. mastectomies or lumpectomies) , trauma or infection of the lymph system, severe venous insufficiencies, and hereditary issues present at birth or triggered later in life at the occurrence of puberty or with pregnancy. Initially symptoms of lymphedema may be reduced by elevating the affected area. However, without proper treatment, lymphedema will continue to progress through its stages and worsen, leading to hardening of the affected area. As the limb grows progressively larger and harder, it becomes more prone to complications such as fungal infections. Many treatments are available. Most often, medicines such as diuretics are prescribed. But without additional treatments, diuretics have very poor long-term results and should not be used solely to treat lymphedema. Diuretics only help to remove water from the affected area, leaving the proteins behind. When a patient comes off the diuretics, the protein-rich area may attract the water once again, causing the swelling to return. Sometimes, pneumatic compression pumps can be used. However, if used alone, they also present downfalls similar to using diuretics without additional treatment. Pneumatic compression pumps temporarily remove the water, leaving the proteins behind to potentially attract more water once the pump is removed. In addition, the pump may actually destroy remaining functional lymph vessels, causing an increase in lymphedema with long-term use. Currently, the treatment of choice is complete decongestive therapy. This type of therapy consists of four components: manual lymph drainage, compression therapy, exercise and skin care. Manual lymph drainage is a gentle technique in which the accumulated fluid is manually moved out of the congested area and re-routed, sending the lymph liquid to a clear area where it can successfully move back into the body's normal circulation. Compression therapy, done through the use of bandages and compression garments, helps prevent future accumulation of fluid once it has been manually removed. Exercise is important in this method of therapy, if done properly. If the wrong exercises are performed, they can actually make the condition considerably worse. A trained professional will develop a customized exercise program designed to facilitate the use of muscle activity to push the fluid out of the affected limb. Finally, information is given on the importance of skin care and how to care for the swollen limb properly to avoid infection and avoid triggers that may cause the recurrence of lymphedema. When treated properly, lymphedema can be sent into remission. If patients initially receive proper treatment for this life-long condition and learn how to prevent its recurrence, they can return to their daily activities and a normal way of life. nnn Kathleen Edwards DPT, CLT is a doctor of physical therapy and certified lymphedema therapist at The Center for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Beverly Hospital. |
| Downtown Milford gets a new pink door
By Alison Bergsieker STAFF WRITER Non-profit opens up shop There isn't anything more uncomfortable than wearing a paper dressing gown, sitting alone in a doctor's office and waiting for an expensive mammogram that could turn up positive for cancer. ADVERTISEMENT But there is one non-profit group working to make mammograms more affordable, while pampering those patients who need it most. And they've just moved in on Main Street. Julie Durham, owner and co-founder of the Pink Door, a non-profit organization helping women pay for mammograms to detect early warning signs of breast cancer, will open up shop at 239 N. Main St. on Aug. 24 in the old Shelton Windows building. Durham is a mammographer at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills. After receiving countless calls from patients with no insurance or other situations who couldn't afford mammograms, she founded the Pink Door. "A lot of people out there are the working poor," Durham said. "We lose lives based on the fact that there's nothing there to help these women." Durham had been searching for a location in Highland for several months with no avail. She was sold when she came across the Shelton Windows building, which has a perfectly painted pink door. "God closed the door and opened the windows — Shelton windows," Durham said. "After we got every door slammed we ended up in downtown Milford." Debbie Shew, special services coordinator, said the store will carry an endless supply of "comfort." "We've got golf shirts, fleeces, robes, T-shirts, sweatshirts, pants — just a variety of clothing for men and women," Shew said. "We have a 'Sirvivor' line for men too." The store will sell T-shirts designed with a little door that opens across the chest, so patients can opt out of wearing the uncomfortable dressing gowns offered at hospitals. "When people have cancer, they don't feel good, and they don't feel pretty," Shew said. "Our goal is to help them out with that." There will be a few new editions too — Susan's Special Needs will offer pre-imposed mastectomies once a month, and other items available for purchase include a line of chocolates, radiation soothing creams, journals and attractive hats for patients who've lost their hair. Shoppers also can purchase a "Remembear," a teddy bear made with clothing of loved ones who've passed. "If someone happens to pass away, you can take a piece of their clothing, and we fashion a teddy bear out of it," Durham said. "The teddy bear will actually be named after the person." A massage therapist will be available for lymphedema patients who are suffering from fluid build up in their arms, Shew said. Shew and her husband, Larry, co-authored the book, "The Home Report Card," a book that lets family members fill out grading scales for each other. The couple will hold a book-signing at the store on Aug. 25. Durham will perform a ribbon cutting ceremony at the store on Aug. 24. The non-profit also will host a dinner theater event at 59 West on Aug. 23. For more information about the dinner theater contact Andrea Bronson at (248) 320-4585. Store hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. "This is for a great cause," Shew said. "There's nothing between Highland and Detroit that provides these services for both men and women." Alison Bergsieker is a reporter for the Milford Times. She can be reached by phone at (248) 685-1507. |
| Precision Dynamics Corporation Offers Color Coded Alert Band Wristbands for Patient Safety
SAN FERNANDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC), a leader and innovator of automated wristband identification, announces the release of color coded Alert Band Wristbands for patient safety. Throughout the United States, healthcare facilities have long used color-coded wristbands to signal important medical information. In fact, according to the 2005 Patient Safety Authority Survey of Pennsylvania Hospitals four out of five respondents’ facilities used color-coded patient wristbands. However, the lack of consistency in wristband meanings and how they are applied presents problems when patients are transferred among facilities and when patients are cared for by clinicians in multiple hospitals. This challenge was highlighted when a patient was nearly not resuscitated during a cardiopulmonary arrest because she was incorrectly designated “DNR” with a color-coded wristband by a nurse who worked in multiple facilities and was confused about the meanings of different colors.(a) Events such as these increase the risks of making potentially fatal patient errors. Precision Dynamics’ color coded Alert Band wristbands greatly minimize the chance of error by providing pre-printed, large visible text/cues and an extensive range of vibrant colors that allow healthcare workers to immediately identify patient medical conditions. Each band is equipped with PDC’s patented SecurSnap® closure for optimum patient comfort and safety. While at this time there isn’t a national standard assigning specific color wristbands to specific alerts, individual states such as Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and others are adopting standards, and PDC supports these and all patient safety initiatives. In support of these initiatives, PDC’s Color Coded Alert Bands provide maximum patient protection and comfort in one total wristband solution. PDC’s Color Coded Alert Wristbands provides healthcare professionals with the following advantages: Clear Visibility of patient alerts even if the patient shifts or the patient cannot be disturbed. SecurSnap® closures for patient security, safety and comfort. Flexibility in size for patient comfort. Custom printed text to fit any standardized level now and in the future. Custom alert logos to allow for less common conditions such as “Limb alert” or “Lymphedema Alert” etc. Latex-free. For more information on PDC’s color Alert Bands, please visit call 800-772-1122. For media inquiries and requests for hi-resolution product photos, please contact: Adrienne S. Lamm at 818-897-1111 ext. 1330 or adrienne@pdcorp.com. About Precision Dynamics With over 50 years of experience, PDC is a global leader and pacesetter in the development of Auto ID wristband systems for healthcare, leisure and entertainment, and law enforcement. The company introduced the first patient Bar Code ID Wristband, patented Smart Band® Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Wristbands, the AgeBand® Age/ID System, and PDC Smart Kiosk® Cashless RFID System. PDC is committed to 100% quality in service, design, and manufacturing and has ISO-9001: 2000 and ISO-13485: 2003 certification. For more information, visit www.pdcorp.com. Precision Dynamics Corporation name and logo, Securline®, SecurSnap®, Smart Band®, AgeBand®, and PDC Smart Kiosk® are registered trademarks of Precision Dynamics Corporation. All other product names, company names, marks, logos and symbols mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. |
| A surgeon at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has developed a new procedure to prevent one of the most common side effects associated with breast cancer treatment lymphedema or swelling of the arms due to faulty drainage of the lymph nodes.
V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., director of the UAMS breast cancer program, led a study funded by the Tenenbaum Breast Cancer Research Foundation of breast cancer patients at risk for developing lymphedema. Her findings were published in the February issue of the Annals of Surgical Oncology, and she will present the study March 17 at the Society of Surgical Oncology 60th Annual Cancer Symposium in Washington, D.C. "The removal and analysis of the lymph nodes under the arm remains the most important factor in determining the severity of disease in breast cancer patients," Klimberg said. "In the past, surgery to remove the lymph nodes and most of the fat and tissue in the armpit often resulted in complications, including lymphedema." Five percent to 50 percent of women undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer have developed lymphedema, mainly dependent upon the extent of surgery. At the ACRC, surgeons determined that the draining of the first lymph node, known as the sentinel lymph node, is capable of predicting if the cancer has spread to the remaining armpit lymph nodes, known as axillary lymph nodes. This is a less invasive surgery and reduces the likelihood of complications. However, the lymph node system is at risk of disruption during either a sentinel lymph node biopsy or an axillary lymph node dissection, which often leads to swelling in the arm. To prevent the arm swelling, Klimberg has developed the Axillary Reverse Mapping (ARM) procedure. The new technique evaluates the ways in which fluid drains through the lymph node system in the arm through the injection of blue dye. The dye is used to map the drainage of the arm. "Mapping the drainage of the arm decreases the chances of unintended disruption of the lymph node system during surgery and reduces the risk of developing swelling in the arm," Klimberg said. "We are the first to study lymph node drainage in the arm and are now using the ARM procedure as standard procedure at UAMS." Klimberg will soon begin conducting training seminars on the procedure throughout the country. The seminars will be sponsored by the global medical device company Ethicon, a branch of Johnson & Johnson. Klimberg is chief of the Division of Breast Surgical Oncology at UAMS and a professor in the Departments of Surgery and Pathology. She also is director of the Breast Cancer Program at the UAMS' Arkansas Cancer Research Center as well as director of Breast Fellowship in Diseases of the Breast at UAMS. Additional UAMS staff members involved in the published study are Kent Westbrook, M.D.; distinguished professor; Ronda Henry-Tillman, M.D., associate professor of surgery; Margaret Thompson, fellow; Soheila Korourian, M.D., associate professor of pathology; Keiva Bland, fellow; K. Jackman, surgery resident; and Laura Adkins, data manager. UAMS is the state's only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,430 students and 715 medical residents. It is one of the state's largest public employers with about 9,400 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children's Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS' Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. For more information, visit http://www.uams.edu/. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 4301 W. Markham St., Slot 716 Little Rock, AR 72205 United States http://www.uams.edu/ |
| AUGUST 2007 NEWS |
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