Modeling of Pressure Control in Compressive Gloves for Neuropathy Prevention

Oxaliplatin is a chemotherapy drug used for colorectal cancer treatment. This drug induce side effects on the nervous system, including numbness in the fingers and toes. Previous studies have proposed a method to reduce the delivery rate of oxaliplatin to fingers and toes by applying pressure using surgical gloves with two layers that are smaller than the patient’s hands. However, this approach results in a low-precision control of pressure. In this research, a compressive glove system was developed to control pressure inside the gloves automatically using an air pump. A mathematical model of the glove system was estimated to design a PI controller to improve control accuracy and reduce external interference. The results indicate that the glove system could control pressure automatically through the estimated mathematical models of the system.