Assessment of the Efficacy of the Dynamic Decongestive System in the Maintenance Phase of Lower Limb Lymphedema

Background: Lymphedema is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by impaired lymphatic drainage, leading to the accumulation of protein-rich fluid in the interstitial tissues, progressive tissue remodeling, and an increased risk of complications such as infection. Although lymphedema is not curable, standard management combining intensive decongestive therapy followed by lifelong maintenance treatment can significantly reduce limb volume, improve function, and enhance quality of life. However, maintaining long-term disease control remains challenging. The maintenance phase relies primarily on compression therapy and patient self-management. Adherence is often suboptimal due to treatment complexity, cost, limited access to specialized care, and the impact of therapy on daily activities. As a result, patients frequently experience recurrent edema, functional impairment, and infectious complications such as cellulitis, contributing to a substantial clinical and socioeconomic burden. Current standard approaches, including multicomponent bandaging and elastic compression garments, are effective but have important limitations. Multicomponent bandaging is highly operator-dependent, time-consuming, and difficult to maintain because frequent adjustments are required as limb volume changes. Elastic compression garments, while more practical, may be insufficient to achieve sustained decongestion, particularly in patients with moderate-to-severe disease. Overall, existing therapies often fail to provide consistent long-term edema control in real-world settings. Recent technological advances have enabled the development of dynamic compression systems designed to improve usability and treatment consistency. The Dynamic Decongestion System (DDS) is designed to standardize compression delivery, reduce operator dependency, and support patient autonomy in the home setting. This study aims to evaluate the clinical relevance of DDS as an adjunct to standard maintenance therapy in patients with primary or secondary lymphedema who have completed intensive decongestive treatment, with the objective of improving long-term volume control and reducing the overall burden of disease.