A dynamic compression system for improving ulcer healing: Design of a sensing garment

Abstract

Venous leg ulcers remain a major problem in the United States, with spending reaching upwards of $1 billion annually. Current treatment options center around the use of compression therapy, which is often delivered in the form of compression bandages, medical-grade stockings, or pneumatic devices. These technologies suffer from a lack of adaptability and/or portability, which may cause inefficient healing. A potential solution to this problem involves the use of an intelligent system that can vary the amount of compression delivered based upon measured physiological variables. A sensing system capable of monitoring both blood flow velocity and the extent of edema/swelling in the lower leg was built, and preliminary tests were conducted. The results of this testing show that the system can accurately detect small changes in leg volume, but is not sensitive enough to measure blood flow velocity. New techniques for measuring blood flow velocity are currently being sought. Upon successful implementation of these technologies, a larger scale study will be conducted in order to generate a robust data set from which a control system can be derived.

ICT-enabled Medical Compression Stocking for Treatment of Leg Venous Insufficiency

“…Existing compression therapy treatment is delivered by the application of either compression bandages, compression stockings or Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) (Hegarty et al, 2010). IPC is targeted primarily for the treatment of venous leg ulcers and is delivered in hospitals and daycare centers (Hegarty et al, 2008). While related in nature to the problem under study the IPC approach does not address the patients' self-sufficiency and the characteristics of the treatment are different as IPCs provide dynamic compression while this study aims at static compression at lower pressure levels.…”

“…in the shape of the commercially available Microlab PicoPress pressure sensor instrument (Khaburi et al, 2011b). Finally, monitoring the swelling process of the leg as the treatment progresses has also been previously addressed using bioimpedance techniques (Hegarty et al, 2008) and strain gauges (Lebosse et al, 2011).…”

Smart Wearable Systems for the Remote Monitoring of Selected Vascular Disorders of the Lower Extremity: A Systematic Review

“…Venous leg ulcers are the last and most severe stage of chronic venous disease according to the C5 and C6 classes within the Clinical Etiological Anatomical Pathophysiological (CEAP) classification, resulting from failures of the valves that connect the superficial and deeper veins, manifesting as superficial venous hypertension. Capillaries cannot withstand this high pressure for a long time, leading to a decrease in oxygen distribution and consequent ulcer development [ 17 ]. If timely and proper care is not given, the blood drips from the vein and the affected skin gets swollen and tight, leading to heavy pain.…”

“…Treatment options available include the use of compression therapy, usually through compression bandages, compression stockings, or pneumatic compression devices. One of the potential solutions to this problem includes the use of an intelligent system that can manage the amount of pressure applied by measuring physiological variables [ 17 ].…”