Each year it is estimated 130,000 people with burn injuries visit Emergency Departments in the UK! Around 10,000 are admitted to hospital and approximately half of these are children under 16 years of age!
These injuries require specialised care to achieve good outcomes, reduce long-term scarring and prevent other on-going problems.
For us at Physiquipe, we are delighted to play a small part of supporting the UK burns services is a real privilege and is the very reason we do what we do!
The UK burns services are leading the way internationally with LymphaTouch which has been supported throughout by Dan’s Fund for Burns (DFFB) – an incredible charity!
In light of this, we hosted the webinar on “LymphaTouch for Burns Management.”
We were joined by Janine Evans (Moriston Hospital), Rachel Wiltshire and Donna King (Broomfield Hospital) who have been two of the major driving forces in applying LymphaTouch into burns.
It was great to have Mira Väyrynen (LymphaTouch Inc.) on the session as well to support with the international applications of the LymphaTouch.
During the session, Janine introduced us to how she came across the LymphaTouch. In burns, they have known that negative pressure (vacuum) therapy has been cited many times for the treatment of scars.
She added LymphaTouch to her service in late 2018 and since then, the device has been implemented into 16 services around the UK.
As part of the support from (DFFB), the burns sites have been collecting some patient and clinician feedback on the use of the system.
The feedback so far has been positive with patients reporting:
- “Scar feels it’s not pulling as much when reaching up with arm”
- “Got relief for four to five days following treatment before the feeling of tightness returned”
- “Scar feels more mobile/ lifted after treatment”
With therapists also saying:
- “Less labour intensive than hands-on massage”
- “Will be kinder to our joints in the long-term”
Handing over to Rachel Wiltshire, who has obtained 2 LymphaTouch systems for their burns and scar services, indicated that careful assessment is key to selecting the correct patients for LymphaTouch treatment.
She explained how LymphaTouch was idea for tight, contracted areas or tethered scarring, for across joints where there is limited range of movement. However, treatment requires patient commitment.
The great aspect to hear from Rachel and Donna was how useful it has been for treating children. One of their 8 year old patients said it was great they were “able to do it myself.”
We discussed this in the Q&A section and all agreed that the ability for the patient to engage in their own treatment was a real added value.
Many patients have hypersensitivities, or are very anxious about therapists touching their scars, so having the ability for the patient to treat themselves really breaks that barrier.
Overall, the session was really informative for anyone dealing with complex wounds and scars and to hear how experienced clinicians are using the system first hand.
Ultimately, we do need more evidence to show the effectiveness of the LymphaTouch negative pressure treatment – we will get there – but is enlightening to see that the LymphaTouch is making a real difference to the burns services in the UK, and most importantly their patients!
Watch the full webinar below:
Mira Presentation - 01:37
Janine Presentation - 6:58
Rachel Presentation - 15:03
Start of the Q & A - 22:20
To find out more about LymphaTouch, contact Physiquipe on 0161 713 0409 or info@physiquipe.com.