A Pressure Warning System for Patients With Insensitive Feet to Avoid Ulceration

Summary

Peripheral nervous diseases, such as leprosy, result in insensitivity of the extremities. Lack of sen­sory stimulus in the feet causes ulceration due to the application of excessive pressure on the soles of the feet during standing or during locomotion. It is necessary to warn the patient, when the pressure under the foot reaches levels critical to ulceration. To this end, a device has been developed which senses the sole pressure integrated over the stance time duration, compares it to a preset value and gives a warning to the subject in the form of short electrical impulses. The design and clinical applications of this pressure warning system are presented.