Pressure measurement stocking for prevention and therapy support for diabetic foot ulcers

Abstract Around 8 million people in Germany suffer from type 2 diabetes. One of the secondary and accompanying diseases is diabetic foot syndrome, which currently affects 250,000 patients. Therapeutic and preventive measures are designed to reduce the risk of foot wounds (ulcers). These include the detection of increased pressure values in the entire foot area. A pressure-measuring stocking can be used to continuously record pressure loads during activities of daily living. It is important to use skin-friendly, heat- and moisture-regulating textiles with very thin and soft sensors that do not create pressure points and are very comfortable to put on, take off and wear. Machine washing should be possible for daily cleaning. And the manufacturing costs must be low. The solution presented is the use of thin (1 mm) capacitive dielectric elastomer pressure sensors based on skin-compatible silicones, which are bonded at any position on the smart wool sock. The signal cables are knitted in elastically during stocking production and are connected to a removable radio electronics unit at the end of the stocking. The measurement data from up to 16 pressure sensors on the entire foot can thus be sent wirelessly to a mobile receiving device (e.g. smartphone) to warn patients of excessive pressure and inform the doctors treating them.