Method and apparatus for indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer and its progression

摘要

A method of monitoring a patient's foot provides an open platform for receiving at least one foot. The 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 then forms a thermogram of the sole of the at least one foot from the temperature data, and determines whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns. Next, the method produces output information indicating the emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot as a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.

主权项

1. A method of determining emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer 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 processors, at least one thermogram of the sole of each of the at least one foot from the discrete temperature data values, the thermogram comprising a spatially continuous data set of two-dimensional temperature values across the sole; determining, by at least one of the processors, at any location within the at least one thermogram of the sole, whether the thermogram presents at least one of a plurality of prescribed patterns; and producing, by at least one of the processors, output information indicating an emergence of a pre-ulcer or progression of a known pre-ulcer in the at least one foot, producing being a function of whether the thermogram is determined to present the at least one pattern.