Haide Nordh from Helsingborg in Sweden had almost given up on overcoming the pain and immobility caused by years of suffering from diabetes and venous leg ulcers (VLUs) – but Arjo’s WoundExpress™ restored her hope of being able to move freely again.
“All these years of suffering, frequent treatments and heavy medication forced me to retire early. It’s not easy to be focused and helpful when you are in a lot of pain,” says the 68-year old retired social worker.
Venous leg ulcers are a rapidly-growing, treatment-intensive problem all over the world. Research has shown that almost half of the wounds don’t heal within a year*.
“I used to be very active, playing tennis and doing a lot of things. But all that disappeared when I got sick. I even feared that I would lose my legs.”
After 16 weeks of treatment using Wound Express two hours every day, the ulcer on one of Haide’s legs was all but healed.
She continues, “I had my treatment in the summer, so doing the sessions in the cool evening hours while watching a good film or reading a book worked well for me. After the first sessions, I had some exercise pains, almost as if I had been out running. However, that went away rather quickly.”
WoundExpress is a groundbreaking addition to Arjo’s solutions for enabling movement. The garment is easily applied by the patient on the thigh of the ulcerated limb, while the lightweight, portable and quiet pump is designed for minimum disruption of daily activities.
“The cuff and pump are easy to use, and I really appreciate that the cuff is placed around the thigh, away from the ulcer on the lower leg.”
The specially-designed three-chamber garment is attached to a pump, which features a unique, patented timing cycle that augments venous and arterial blood flow. By inflating the garment in this special sequence, venous blood flow is increased.
“Previous treatment methods put pressure directly on the wound. You can imagine how terribly painful that is,” Haide explains.
“This has been a fantastic, almost magical experience. After the treatment, I am more mobile than before, and I am feeling positive again. If I can get rid of the ulcer on my other leg and use less bandage, I may even be able to drive my car again. Then I would really be mobile!” Haide says.