Design and Development of a Medical Device (Artificial Ganglion) for Aids in the Treatment of Lymphedema

In 2016, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography the incidence of breast malignancy among the population aged 20 years and over is 14.80 new cases per 100,000 people. In women, it peaks in those of the 60–64 age group (68.05 for every 100,000 women in that age group). Worldwide, it is estimated that each year 1.38 million new cases are detected and there are 458,000 deaths due to this cause, being this type of cancer with higher incidence among women [1]. Depending on the type of cancer detected, the treatment is different. Doctors indicate, however, that when there is surgery or radiation in the procedure, lymph nodes are removed or damaged resulting in the majority of cases the disease is known as lymphedema. Through the studies of the American Cancer Society [2] it can be observed that “lymphedema is produced by surgery, radiation or cancer”. In this work a literature review will be presented in order to focus on the need of considering Human Factors and Usability evaluations during the first stages of the design process for a new artificial ganglion that may help breast cancer survivors with lymphedema to improve their well-being.