Abstract
Lymphoedema is defined as ‘tissue swelling due to a failure of lymph drainage’ (Mortimer, 1990). The lymphatic system is made up of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymph itself. The lymph vessels begin in the superficial network as blind-ended capillaries. Water, food and oxygen leave the blood at capillary level to nourish and bathe the tissues. Much of the water, normally about 90%, is reabsorbed at the venous end of the capillaries. The remaining 10% of the water, together with waste materials and large proteins not reabsorbed by the blood, moves from the tissues into the lymph capillaries and is transported along the peripheral pre-collector vessels into the larger lymph collectors.
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Badger, C. (1996). The management of lymphoedema. In: Denton, S. (eds) Breast Cancer Nursing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3388-1_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3388-1_14
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