Development of a supporter for the management of chronic edema in the late elderly using a multidisciplinary global approach

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K18449
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Studies on the Super-Aging Society
• Research Institution: Fujita Health University (2021); Kanazawa University (2018-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Sugama Junko 藤田医科大学, 社会実装看護創成研究センター, 教授 (00203307)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 真田 弘美 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 教授 (50143920)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 高齢者 / 慢性浮腫 / 下肢浮腫 / 圧迫療法 / ウエルビーイング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Chronic edema of the lower extremities affects walking function in the late elderly, but has been overlooked by medical and nursing staff as well as the patients themselves, saying that it is inevitable because of their age. In this study, we reported that in healthy adults, no decrease in great saphenous vein blood flow was observed even when pressure under the bandage was added in stages from 10 mmHg to 40 mmHg. The study also suggested that lower extremity edema affects the well-being of walking, foot pain, and shoe-wearing in the elderly, and that compression of the lower leg in the range of 10 to 30 mmHg reduces edema and improves well-being in the elderly.

Free Research Field

基礎看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

後期高齢者に生じる下肢慢性浮腫を軽減するための新たなケアデバイスの開発を目標に本研究に着手した。2020年・2021年はコロナ感染症の影響受け、予定していた臨床調査がほとんど実施できず、当初の目標達成には至らなかった。しかし、デバイスの要件となる安全で効果のある圧迫圧の範囲を研究期間内に明らかにし、症例検討ではあるが、高齢者の下肢圧迫療法を実施し、下肢浮腫の軽減とwell-bin向上を示唆できたことは今後のデバイス開発に役立つ。