An Intelligent Monitoring System for Diabetic Footcare

Elevated plantar pressure plays a major role in foot problems in diabetic patients. High pressures interrupt arterial blood flow, which is further compounded by the fact that diabetic patients lose sensory feedback from their feet, hence are not able to change their stance leading to unnatural pressure points. This can lead to dermal ulcerations, necrosis, and ultimately to partial or total amputation of the foot. The main objective of this research is to collect information on plantar pressure at different parts of the foot and come up with a system that would help in the prevention of foot ulcerations. This is accomplished by keeping track of the pressure and sounding alarms when critical thresholds are reached. An integrated system has been developed that contains a data collection, processing, storage and transmission system. The unit has a dedicated microcontroller that interfaces with a specially design graphical user interface that is easy and intuitive to use. The system has been tested for pressure sensing, and can be easily enhanced to accommodate temperature and sweat sensors. The unit is expected to enhance healthcare for diabetic patients so as to prevent foot ulcerations.