Method and apparatus for indicating the risk of an emerging ulcer

摘要

A method of monitoring at least one foot of a patient provides an open platform for receiving at least one foot. The open platform has at least one temperature sensor for generating a plurality of temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot. The method also forms a thermogram of the sole of the at least one foot from the temperature data values, and determines whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns. Finally, the method produces output information indicating the risk of an ulcer emerging on the foot as a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one prescribed pattern.

主权项

1. A method of determining a risk of an ulcer emerging on at least one foot of a patient, the method comprising:
providing one or more processors; providing an open platform for receiving at least one foot, the open platform having a plurality of temperature sensors; generating, using the plurality of temperature sensors, a plurality of discrete temperature data values after receipt of the at least one foot; forming, by at least one of the one or more processors, at least one thermogram of a sole of each of the at least one foot from the discrete temperature data values, the at least one thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole of each of the at least one foot; determining, by at least one of the one or more processors, at any location within the at least one thermogram of a sole of the at least one foot, whether the at least one thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and producing, by at least one of the one or more processors, output information indicating a risk of an ulcer emerging on the at least one foot, said producing being a function of whether the at least one thermogram is determined to present the at least one of the plurality of prescribed patterns.