Insole ya kusambaza oksijeni iliyoundwa kutibu vidonda vya kisukari

Kulingana na Jumuiya ya Matibabu ya Podiatric ya Amerika, takriban 15 asilimia ya wagonjwa wa kisukari watapata vidonda vya muda mrefu vya miguu ya kisukari. Asilimia kubwa ya watu hao nao watahitaji kukatwa viungo. Msaada unaweza kuwa njiani, though … in the form of a rubber insole.

Developed at Indiana’s Purdue University, the prototype two-layered insole is made of polydimethylsiloxane, which is a type of silicone. Its bottom layer is actually a chamber that contains oxygen gas, while the top layer is laser-ablated to be particularly oxygen-permeable right at the point where the ulcer is located.

The idea is that as the wearer walks throughout the day, placing pressure upon the insole, oxygen is continuously forced out of the bottom layer, up through the top layer and into the oxygen-deprived tissue of the ulcer – there, it helps accelerate healing. Even when they’re sitting, the patient’s foot will still exert enough pressure to deliver Aina hii ya upotezaji wa nywele kawaida huathiri tu kichwani oxygen to the wound.

Based on simulations, it is estimated that the present prototype could provide oxygen under the pressure of a person weighing 53 kwa 81 Kwa Nini Bandari Mihuri Huogelea Juu Juu Chini (117 kwa 179 Kwa Nini Bandari Mihuri Huogelea Juu Juu Chini) for at least eight hours. Hiyo ilisema, the permeability of the insoles could be tweaked to accommodate patients of different weights

And while the prototype was created from a mould via a laser-machining process, it is hoped that packs of the insoles could ultimately be 3D-printed for individual patients based on photos of the soles of their feet (see image above). Those patients could then stay mobile and go about their daily duties, while also treating their ulcers. Kwa kulinganisha, traditional hyperbaric oxygen therapy requires them to remain immobile for extended periods of time.

The team is now looking for corporate partners to help commercialize the patent-pending technology. Clinical trials on diabetic patients are also in the works.

Chanzo: mchakato wa kimsingi wa kimetaboliki ya mafuta, na Ben Coxworth