MIE.59 – Pressure Offloading Footwear for a Person with Diabetes
Team Members Heading link
- Jonathan Aldana Rivera
- Naji Fariz
- Michelle George
- Atah Hassan
- Naulini Orozco
- Amir Shirsalimian
Project Description Heading link
Due to the continued affliction of diabetes within the country, a project to lessen the outcomes of the adverse effects was undertaken. In this project, the task of reducing the likelihood of foot ulcers in a person with diabetes was managed. Approximately 18% to 34% of individuals with diabetes will develop a Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU). DFU’s are the wearing of the skin and tissue in the underside of the foot due to repeated pressure experienced by the foot. Lower limb amputations are a serious side effect of DFU’s alongside a declining life expectancy. In order to reduce the pressure, rheological fluids were researched to provide a manner of reducing the pressure experienced by a foot during gait. These rheological fluids were capable of changing physical properties, specifically viscosity, when experiencing an external stimuli. After testing two fluids, electrorheological fluid (ERF) and magnetorheological fluid (MRF), ERF affected by electric fields and MRF affected by magnetic fields, a decision was made to move forward with just one fluid. Through the use of magnetorheological fluid, which changes viscosity when in the presence of a magnetic field, bladders filled with this fluid were placed within a region that would experience a high magnetic field and would in turn cause a change in the viscosity of the fluid. Pressure was measured at regions of the foot that experience the highest concentration of stress and these areas are where the bladders were placed. Upon changing the viscosity of the bladder to a more viscous state, pressure decreases were seen in the higher stress concentration areas. The current medical devices used to heal DFU’s are typically more substantial in size and impact upon the function of lower extremities rather than preventing DFU’s. These medical devices are not capable of properly offloading pressure which heightens the risk of future DFU’s if not properly healed. The medical device in question will properly offload the pressure with the use of either ERF or MRF by varying the offload based on the individual’s movements. This creates a more personalized treatment thus healing the DFU and ultimately reducing the risk of future DFU’s.