LSBU academic’s work prevents limb loss in diabetes patients

Having developed a diabetic neuropathy diagnostic product, working with ESBE to produce a prototype, and developing links for medical innovation products being developed by LSBU with colleagues in India and Saudi Arabia, Head of Health and Social Care Michelle Spruce won the award for Best Cross-Faculty Project in the Vice Chancellor’s Enterprising Staff Awards last March.

Important research on preventing limb loss in diabetes patients has been carried out by LSBU academics

 

Here, Michelle talks about the research she and her team have done into the product, which identifies risk factors in diabetes patients that may lead to limb loss.

"The diagnostic device that we have developed at LSBU identifies the major risk factors in diabetes leading to lower limb ulceration and amputation, which could result in significant treatment and surgery cost savings for the NHS. Last year, the NHS spent around £9.8bn just treating diabetes and this is expected to reach £17bn by 2035—so we really need to work towards improving treatment.

The device we have designed, which is fully automated, replaces the need and cost for trained clinicians to test for peripheral neuropathy, which can lead to ulceration and amputation in diabetes patients. The device looks like a Wii Fit board and performs a screening test that picks up on the major risk factors associated with diabetes. Looking at major skin breaches and thoroughly pressure-mapping the foot, the device comes in at the source to detect the loss of sensation associated with ulceration risk. The patient does this part of the test themselves and sends the results to their GP via a mobile app.

The device, when commercialised, could be deployed in GP practices or clinics—enabling clinical assistants to test patients much more regularly and in a more reliable and rigorous manner. Furthermore, the device could also be installed in homes, eliminating the need for the patient to travel to the clinic or GP practice.

The development of the device has already received a significant amount of interest and the estimated cost would be around £500 per unit. It provides a community, self-service solution to a major problem, and we hope to significantly reduce the risk of ulceration and loss of limbs, in turn having a dramatic effect on the quality of life and independence of many diabetes and obesity sufferers—as well as clear economic benefit to the NHS."

Detailed diagrams of the device are available.