Objective: This prospective, longitudinal, pragmatic study describes at home treatment with a proprietary advanced pneumatic compression device (APCD) for patients with lower extremity lymphedema (LED).
Methods: Following institutiona review board approval, four participating Veterans Affairs centers enrolled LED patients from 2016 to 2022. The primary outcome measures were health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) questionnaires (lymphedema quality of life-leg and the generic SF-36v2) obtained at baseline and 12, 24, and 52 weeks. The secondary outcome measures were limb circumference, cellulitis events, skin quality, and compliance with APCD and other compression therapies.
Results: Because a portion of the trial was conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, 179 patients had 52 weeks of follow-up, and 143 had complete measurements at all time points. The baseline characteristics were a mean age of 66.9 ± 10.8 years, 91% were men, and the mean body mass index was 33.8 ± 6.9 kg/m2. LED was bilateral in 92.2% of the patients. Chronic venous insufficiency or phlebolymphedema was the most common etiology of LED (112 patients; 62.6%), followed by trauma or surgery (20 patients; 11.2%). Cancer treatment as a cause was low (4 patients; 2.3%). Patients were classified as having International Society for Lymphology (ISL) stage I (68.4%), II (27.6%), or III (4.1%). Of the primary outcome measures, significant improvements were observed in all lymphedema quality of life-leg domains of function, appearance, symptoms, and emotion and the overall score after 12 weeks of treatment (P < .0001) and through 52 weeks of follow-up. The SF-36v2 demonstrated significant improvement in three domains at 12 weeks and in the six domains of physical function, bodily pain, physical component (P < .0001), social functioning (P = .0181), role-physical (P < .0005), and mental health (P < .0334) at 52 weeks. An SF-36v2 score <40 indicates a substantial reduction in HR-QoL in LED patients compared with U.S. norms. Regarding the secondary outcome measures at 52 weeks, compared with baseline, the mean limb girth decreased by 1.4 cm (P < .0001). The maximal reduction in mean limb girth was 1.9 cm (6.0%) at 12 weeks in ISL stage II and III limbs. New episodes of cellulitis in patients with previous episodes (21.4% vs 6.1%, P = .001) were reduced. The 75% of patients with skin hyperpigmentation at baseline decreased to 40% (P < .01) at 52 weeks. At 52 weeks, compliance, defined as use for 5 to 7 days per week, was reported for the APCD by 72% and for elastic stockings by 74%.
Conclusions: This longitudinal study of Veterans Affairs patients with LED demonstrated improved generic and disease-specific HR-QoL through 52 weeks with at home use of an APCD. Limb girth, cellulitis episodes, and skin discoloration were reduced, with excellent compliance.
Keywords: Lymphatic; Lymphedema; Nonoperative management; Phlebolymphedema; Quality of life; Venous Insufficiency.
Published by Elsevier Inc.