News Page Here you will find updates on Klose Training and Consulting, peer-reviewed articles, and information regarding Lana Exam Dates and Professional Conferences.
KLC will host 2nd annual Lymphedema Awareness Day, March 6th, 2010. Posted February 18, 2010 Klose Lymphedema Care will be hosting the second annual Lymphedema Awareness Day on March 6th, 2010 at the Public Library in Lafayette, CO. March 6th was declared as Lymphedema D-Day by the State of Colorado in 2001. Colorado State Representative Dianne Primavera will be the Keynote Speaker for this important event. Doors for participants will open at 10:30 a.m. Lymphedema is a chronic swelling, most often affecting the extremities. Lymphedema can develop as a side effect of surgical and/or radiation treatment for breast, prostate, gynecological cancers or melanoma. The condition may also develop without obvious reason after birth (congenital lymphedema) or later in life. Lymphedema is generally poorly understood in the medical community. Therefore lymphedema is often undertreated or not treated at all. This event will raise public awareness for lymphedema and honor patients who are living with this condition. Patients with lymphedema will have an opportunity to network with each other and therapist experts who treat lymphedema. KLC Receives BWRC Grant to Assist Patients with Lymphedema Posted July 9, 2009  | Klose Lymphedema Care (KLC) is excited to announce that we have been honored with a grant award from the Colorado Breast and Women’s Reproductive Cancer Fund. This project, Improving Quality of Life for Patients with Secondary Lymphedema related to Breast or Women’s Reproductive Cancer, allows KLC to offer financial assistance to patients in the State of Colorado with breast or reproductive cancer in obtaining compression garments for lymphedema management. |
Research demonstrates that therapy for lymphedema, including compression garments, can significantly affect improvement in quality of life. Many health insurance plans, including Medicare, exclude compression garments for lymphedema and decrease a patient’s ability to obtain appropriate care. With your help we can identify these patients and provide them with the necessary compression garment application. If you know someone who would benefit from financial assistance for compression garments for lymphedema in the State of Colorado we require the following:
• KLC Financial Assistance Application
• Prescription from a medical doctor indicating “compression garment for lymphedema” The staff members at Klose Lymphedema Care are very excited to have the opportunity to serve the lymphedema community and we look forward to working with you and your patients. Please contact Heather Blatchley, DPT, CLT with questions regarding funding for compression garments, patient care and other KLC services at clt@klosetraining.com or 303-245-0333.
June 4, 2009 JOBST cuts delivery time in half. Elvarex, Elvarex Soft, Seamless Soft, and Bellavar garments are now being delivered in an average of 4 DAYS! May 11, 2009 The American Lymphedema Framework Project (ALFP) held its 1st stakeholder meeting in Chicago, Il on March 16th, 2009. The ALFP is a national initiative developed under the leadership of recognized clinical experts and investigators in the field of lymphedema. A collaboration of healthcare providers, researchers, patients, and industry representatives, the ALFP will develop and evaluate appropriate health care services for patients with all forms of lymphedema and advance the quality of lymphedema care both in the United States and worldwide.
The stakeholder meeting was attended by 71 participants from various interest groups (see pie chart below). The meeting was held in an “open space” concept and was exceptionally productive. Participants were encouraged to identify current issues and problem areas in all aspects of lymphedema care. The morning session also included discussion about the possible obstacles this newly formed organization faces to establish itself as a recognized and meaningful entity in the field of lymphedema care and other related areas, professional organizations and industries. During the second half of the meeting, participants were working in groups again with the focus on specific, previously identified issues and with the intent to produce a list of possible solutions and resources needed to implement these solutions.
In summary, the ALFP was able to conduct an exceptionally productive stakeholder meeting, the first step to accomplish a great goal and to meet the ambitions outlined in their mission statement. For more information about ALFP go to www.alfp.org. At the website you’ll be able to sign up for e-mail updates. May 11, 2009 The next meeting of the Rocky Mountain Lymphedema Study Group will be June 2, 2009 from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Klose Training/Klose Lymphedema Care offices in Lafayette, CO. Doors will open at 5:30 for a light dinner and networking. Meeting topics will include: Review of Post Mastectomy Surgical Reconstruction Techniques, Breast and Chest MLD Review, and Solaris Compression Products for Truncal & Arm Edema. A representative from Solaris will present their latest truncal compression products. Jodi Winicour, author and instructor of Klose Training's Breast Cancer Rehabilitation course will provide a review of post mastectomy surgical reconstruction techniques. Heather Blatchley, Klose Lymphedema Care's lymphedema specialist will provide a review of MLD for the breast and trunk. Light dinner will be served. If you’d like, bring a Case Study to share (please bring pictures on a memory stick or CD-ROM as well as a brief medical history and your suggestions for treatment). There is NO COST to attend, but to help us prepare for your participation, we request the courtesy of your RSVP BY Friday, May 29, by calling 303-245-0333 or emailing lisa@klosetraining.com January 8, 2009 Lymphedema Physician for the Front Range and Colorado; Paul Berger, MD of the Boulder Holistic Medical Center is now available to see patients with lymphedema and patients at risk of lymphedema for evaluation, diagnosis, and appropriate referral. Dr. Berger recently received special training in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lymphedema by Klose Training's Medical Director Kathleen Francis, MD. Dr. Berger's office is located on 805 South Broadway in Boulder, CO. For appointments call 303-449-3100 January 1, 2009 Klose Lymphedema Care (KLC) welcomes Heather Blatchley, PT, DPT, CLT to the team. Heather joins KLC as of January 1st with vast experience in Breast Cancer & Oncology Rehabilitation and Lymphedema Evaluation and Therapy. She will be responsible for further development of KLC’s Lymphedema Program at its home base in Lafayette, CO.
At Klose Training we strive to keep you informed of the most recent and valuable research related to lymphedema and its treatment. We’ll offer our suggestions for peer-reviewed journal articles. Keeping up to date on research and integrating the information read into your practice is a key component of evidence based practice. Using this research, our patients’ values, and our clinical knowledge helps us to modify, update, and improve our lymphedema practices. Jodi's Summary:
A body mass index of >26 has been implicated as a lymphedema risk factor in previous research and obesity has also been suggested to influence the severity of lymphedema. Although we may not fully understand the roll of obesity in the development of lymphedema, the following research helps to support the concept of weight loss to improve lymphedema.
In this study, twenty-one women with breast cancer-related lymphedema were randomized either to receive dietary advice for weight reduction or to receive a booklet on general healthy eating. The protocol required that patients have a swollen arm that was > 15% larger than the uninvolved side at the time of recruitment.
The primary outcome measure was arm volume at 12 weeks. (Measured with the 4cm circumference method, not including the hand). The results indicated a significant reduction in swollen arm volume at the end of the 12-week period with a mean volume loss of 350mL in the weight reduction group without a significant change in the excess arm volume of the control group.
Results summarized: There was a significant correlation between weight loss and reduction in arm volume, suggesting that lymphedema may continue to improve with additional weight loss.
Please see the full text article for further findings!
Jodi's Summary:
The author’s hypothesize that surgical disruption of arm lymphatics may account for the development of lymphedema in cases of SNB. This study is a follow-up to a smaller study with significant findings by some of the same authors, also published in 2007. Study design summarized: After the nuclear tracer is used to localize the axillary sentinel lymph node, dermal blue dye was injected into the upper extremity for localization of lymphatics draining the arm. From May 2006 to June 2007, 131 ARM procedures were carried out for 113 patients enrolled in the study. Results summarized: Lymphatics draining the arm were near or in the SLN field in 42.7% of the patients, placing them at risk for disruption if not identified and preserved during the lymph node biopsy or dissection. Please read the article in its entirety for all of its findings. This research is exciting news as it may help surgeons to limit lymphatic disruption during axillary node surgery, thereby significantly decreasing the risk of developing lymphedema for those patients! Jodi's Summary:
While the focus of this journal article is on quality of life throughout chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer patients, its secondary end points were fatigue, psychosocial functioning, physical fitness, body composition, chemotherapy completion rate, and lymphedema. Study design and findings summarized: Multicenter randomized controlled trial in Canada between 2003 and 2005. Three arms involving 242 breast cancer patients initiating adjuvant chemotherapy- usual care, supervised resistance exercise, or supervised aerobic exercise. The exercise groups followed strict guidelines for progression throughout the intervention. Lymphedema assessment was completed with water displacement at baseline and at completion of the study. Lymphedema was defined as a > 200 mL increase in the difference between their affected and unaffected arm volumes from baseline to after intervention. Participants in the control group developed lymphedema by this definition at a rate of 7.3%, 3.7% in the resistance training group, and 9.0% in the aerobic training group. This study is one of, if not the, largest controlled trials involving exercise and lymphedema. Findings reveal that the resistance training group had the LOWEST incidence of lymphedema of the 3 arms and while this may not be a cause and effect relationship, it certainly is encouraging for our patients. Please see the full text article for further findings!
Next Rocky Mountain Lymphedema Study Group Meeting: Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 5:30pm - 8:00pm at the Klose Training & Lymphedema Care Office in Lafayette, Colorado. Lymphedema Awareness Day Lafayette, Colorado March 6, 2010 Please call 303-245-0333 or e-mail us for more information. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) – National Convention Orlando, Florida April 29 - May 1, 2010 Come See Us At Booth #527 National Lymphedema Network (NLN) – International Conference Orlando, Florida September 22 - 26, 2010 Lymphology Association of America (LANA) – Next available exam dates: April 19 - May 8, 2010 American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) – CSM New Orleans, LA 2011(exact dates TBA) |
