The healing process of foot ulcers is the most common and serious issue for diabetes patients, why the diabetic foot ulcers often precedes a lower leg amputation. There is a great need for technologies that can describe diabetic foot ulcers in a better and broader context and in the project, "Diabetic foot ulcers", Patient@home focuses on the issue mentioned above by exploring new sensor technologies. The technologies will hopefully give doctors and care takers more accurate tools to grade and characterize diabetic foot ulcers- and thus enabling more targeted treatment efforts.

 

The project "Diabetic foot ulcers" initiates the development of sensors for measuring temperature, pH values, oxygenation, secretions, edema, and markers of biofilm formation in diabetic foot ulcers.

 

As a start John Luxhøj Mølgaard, Specialist at IdemoLab, DELTA, has created the report "Electronic Sensor Technologies for Wounds". The report lists sensor technologies that can be used for monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of wounds.

 

Read report Electronic Sensor Technologies for Wounds 

 

IdemoLab

DELTAs IdemoLab is a department of DELTA. It conducts early design research using Electronic Sketching.

 

- Using Electronic Sketching, we create small iterative experiments to find out if ideas will be useful and how we can use Electronics to solve problems, tells Vanessa Julia Carpenter, DELTA.

 

At the Patient@home consortia meeting she gave a status on the report.

 

- We are facing a problem with the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers. DELTA has worked out this report where we as a start have been talking about all the different sensors we have. Basically we have sensors, they measure something, they get some data, they make a decision, and then something happens, explains Vanessa Julia Carpenter.

 

DELTA has involved doctors, patients and different companies during the process. They have been going through different scenarios and doing a lot of useful testing to come up with ideas on how to measure the foot ulcers.

 

- We've been using electronics from day one and we are involving the state holders from day one, In the report there are two types of sensors; the direct sensors which are placed directly on the skin and the indirect sensors which are remotely monitoring, such as cameras and thermography.

 

- In the report there are temperature sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, light and camera sensors, magnetic sensors, position sensors and micro electro mechanical systems - tiny little things we could place on band aids which sense things, clarifies Vanessa Julia Carpenter.

 

For further information contact Vanessa Julia Carpenter, vjc@delta.dk or visit www.idemolab.com to read more about the IdemoLab.