Design of an Innovative Medical Device to Improve Quality of Life in Lymphedema Patients

Abstract

Lymphedema is a disease that is a common side effect of breast cancer, affecting up to 70% of breast cancer patients. Currently there is no known curative treatment; management of the disease is based on symptomatic therapy such as Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT). Current devices and compression garments used in CDT are often heavy and cause discomfort and bacterial infections due to poor skin care. Along with the longterm physical problems, it also causes serious psychological and social problems for patients, affecting their quality of life significantly. There is an urgent need for innovative approaches for the treatment of lymphedema. In this paper we propose a novel solution in the form of a light portable pneumatic device “Lymphmotion”, along with a complimentary compression garment designed to reduce bacterial infection to address this problem.