Another night garment: biacare chipped foam

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kira66715
kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

I just got a packet of info, and this biacare chipped foam night sleeve--comes with oversleeve, compression is 15-25mm--same as jovipak, showed up.

I'd never heard of it, so I googled it, and it's under $300 on brightlifedirect

Just another player in the night garment product line, but relatively affordable

Has anyone tried it?

http://www.brightlifedirect.com/LYMPHEDEMA-PRODUCTS-BiaCare/c133_483/p4435/BiaCare-ChipSleeve-for-Arm/product_info.html?osCsid=3d5fc5c2f6d6188dab2e448a2060b02a

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  • KS1
    KS1 Member Posts: 632
    edited July 2012

    I had never heard of it, and judging from their website, Biacare chipsleeve seems to be brand new.  The price for the "off the shelf" version is particularly good because it includes the oversleeve and a couple of liners.  It can be made custom ... I wonder what that costs

    I noticed a few things ... 

    The Biacare chipsleeve is only 15-25 mm Hg compression with the oversleeve, as opposed to the Tribute being 30-40 mm Hg when used with an oversleeve.

    The Biacare doesn't cover the fingers at all.  I guess one would wrap the fingers or maybe use with Biacare's Medaglove.  (Don't know anything about the Medaglove ... just see it in their catalogue

    The more companies that make night garments, the better.  Maybe the competition will cause one of the companies to figure out how to make a garment that controls hand swelling.

    Kira, Thanks for posting this! 

    - KS1 

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2012

    KS1, On lymphademaproducts, they list the compression of jovipak--http://www.lymphedemaproducts.com/products/jovipak-upper-extremity.html

    AG Length Sleeve
    $299.50


    Compression: (12-14 mmHg) 

    JoViJacket for AG Length Sleeve
    $99.50


    Compression: (Adds 7 mmHg) 

    So, a jovipak alone is 12-14, add 7 mm for the oversleeve. Solaris doesn't list their compression.

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  • KS1
    KS1 Member Posts: 632
    edited July 2012

    My therapist told me the 20-30 mm + 10 mm Hg for the outer sleeve numbers for the Tribute.  This is consistent with what the BrightLife site say 

    "Tribute garments are available in a 20-30mmhg compression.  An outer jacket can be added to provide a combined 30-40mmHg. " 

    KS

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  • toomuch
    toomuch Member Posts: 901
    edited July 2012

    I seem to do better with low pressure so I'm going to have my LE therapist measure me and see how the off the shelf measurements work for me. I've ordered sleeves and gloves from BrightLife before and their customer service and prices can't be beat!

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  • JoViPakCorp
    JoViPakCorp Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2012

    Hi Kira,

     Our garments give about 22mmHq with the jovi jacket on top. For night time wear it is recommended to stay under 30mmHq otherwise there is a risk of complications of too high of compression that can lead to backflow and open wounds. If you are looking for ready made garment prices bandagesplus.com and biohorizondirect.com has very competitve prices. Remember, when choosing a garment you need to compare apples to apples for a fair assessment. Companies like Solaris and even Biacare, the garments they are showing like the Caresia are bandage liners only. They are comparable to our Transitions line, but our Ready Made garments are the same quality as our customs, but you save on the cost if you fit in a standard size.  I don't know much about Biacare products but I can tell you about the JoViPak. We use a 4 resiliency blend of medical grade foam that does not contain bromides (bromides being exposed to the skin can lead to thyroid issues) We use the highest quality of polartec fabric for durability that wicks moisture away from the skin. Our foam liners are designed to last. Should the polartec not be a good choice for you, we also offer silkweight and cotton/lycra fabrics in made to order and custom garments to aid in your comfort. We also hand draw "continuous flow" channeling on each garment to follow the pathway of the lymphatic system for maximum drainage, as opposed to a chevron or vertical channel design.  The jovi jacket is meant to be replaced every six months much like a daytime garment is. In order to get accurate compression over a foam liner it is impossible to use a fabric that will last more then 6 months. However the JoViPak itself will give you at least a good 2+ years use if you maintain consistent compression over time. Our liners alone offer 10-14 mmHq so if you can't tolerate up to the 22 then you can forego the jacket or simply use a light layer of bandages. We also offer 30+ mmHq in our daytime combi. For concerns with cost, please look into the Transitions line either on our website or you can inquire about it from your local reseller. They typically run about $190ish... also remember... that any garment that is "easy" to don, will not offer you much compression without something on top of it, so don't be fooled by the numbers listed, the results will speak for themselves... so the extra investment sometimes can be worth it for a high quality product. Otherwise you may find yourself replacing it sooner then later.  Feel free to email us anytime you have questions to info@jovipak.com... we want you to make educated decisions and want you to have what works best for you...

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  • JoViPakCorp
    JoViPakCorp Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2012

    http://www.biohorizondirect.com/JoviPak-Liner-Fingertips-to-Shoulder

     http://youtu.be/RXUEKfZOEvA

    check out these links... thanks for looking

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited July 2012

    Jovipak, thanks for the information.

    If you search these boards, you'll see a lot of links to the Northwest Lymphedema Center self care videos--so know that your self care videos have helped a lot of women

    Some of us find our fitters only want to work with Solaris, due to getting alterations on the garments--just FYI.

    All information is helpful, and we're all just learning about the compression of the chipped foam night garments--there was a study of compression in multilayer short stretch bandages, and the lower compression produced better clinical results.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19394553

    J Vasc Surg. 2009 May;49(5):1256-63.
    Compression therapy in breast cancer-related lymphedema: A randomized, controlled comparative study of relation between volume and interface pressure changes.
    Damstra RJ, Partsch H.
    Source

    Department of Dermatology, Phlebology and Lymphology, Nij Smellinghe Hospital, Drachten, The Netherlands. r.damstra@nijsmellinghe.nl
    Abstract
    OBJECTIVE:

    Short stretch bandages are very effective in the initial management of arm lymphedema. However, no studies to date have measured the pressure required to achieve specific amounts of volume reduction. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between low and high-pressure bandaging in terms of therapeutically intended volume reduction of the compressed arm.
    METHODS:

    Experimental, randomized and comparative study with two study-groups consisting of high and low initial interface pressure bandages. Thirty-six hospitalized patients in Nij Smellinghe hospital suffering from moderate to severe unilateral breast cancer-related lymphedema not responsive to outpatient treatment were included. Bilateral arm volume was measured by inverse water volumetry before, after two hours and after 24 hours of bandaging. The amount of edema was calculated by subtracting the volume of the diseased arm from that of the contralateral side. Sub-bandage pressure was measured after bandage application and two hours later. Bandages were then re-applied and the pressure was measured again. Twenty-four hours later, the pressure measurement was repeated and bandages were removed for final volumetry. Patients were randomized into two groups: group A received low pressure bandages (20-30 mm Hg) and group B received high pressure bandages (44-58 mm Hg). The main outcome measures were reduction of arm volume and edema volume in the affected arm in both study groups. Secondary outcome parameters were changes in sub-bandage pressure and patient comfort.
    RESULTS:

    Median arm volume reduction after two and 24 hours was 104.5 mL (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.2-184.2) (-2.5%) (P < .0001) and 217 mL (95% CI, 143.9-280.2) (-5.2%) (P < .01) for group A and 56.5 mL (95% CI, -2.7-123.1) (n.s.) and 167.5 mL (95% CI, 105.2-316.1) (-4.2%) (P < .01) for group B, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the volume changes in group A and group B. After 24 hours, edema decreased by median percentage of 9.2% in group A and 4.8% in group B (n.s.). Bandages in group A were better tolerated. The sub-bandage pressure drop in the first two hours was between 41% and 48% in both treatment groups at both measuring sites. After 24 hours, the pressure drop was between 55% and 63%. No proximal swelling above the bandage was observed.
    CONCLUSIONS:

    Inelastic, multi-layer, multi-component compression bandages with lower pressure (20-30 mm Hg) are better tolerated and achieve the same amount of arm volume reduction as bandages applied with higher pressure (44-58 mm Hg) in the first 24 hours.

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