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An intermittent pneumatic compression boot for the treatment of venous ulcers

PhD research student: Ionnidis Prionidis, surgeon in the Vascular Surgery Department, Broomfield Hospital, Mid-Essex Hospitals Trust.
Supervisory team: Dr Rajshree Mootanah (Anglia Ruskin University), Mr Tom Browne (MEHT), Dr Howard Hillstrom (HSS)
Consultants: Dr Andrew New, Mr Malcolm McKay
Funding bodies:
(1) Mid-Essex Hospitals Trust Research & Development funds - £14,700
(2) Chelmsford Medical Education and Research Trust - £ 19,950
(3) Capital equipment from the Science Research Investment Trust

Venous ulcers occur due to malfunction of venous valves, causing increased pressure in the veins and chronic tissue damage most often in the lower leg. Venous ulcers are recurrent, debilitating and painful. They affect 1% of the adult population, 3.6% of people older than 65 years and rise in prevalence with increasing age (London, 2000). The total annual cost to the NHS is between £294-650m, representing 1-2% of the total healthcare expenditure (Morrell, 1998).

We are developing a self-powered intermittent pneumatic compression boot to assist with blood and fluid circulation while the patient ambulates. This device will enable patients? mobility, autonomy and accessibility to the device. This boot allows patients to be mobile during their treatment and is easy to wear, compared to the existing compression hosiery, and provides a closer to the normal physiology of the "calf muscle pump" solution to the problem of the chronic venous insufficiency. The development of the boot involved interface plantar and lower limbs pressure measurements and gait analysis to ensure comfort and stability (Prionidis et al., 2008).
References:
  • London, N.J.M., Donnelly, D (2000). Ulcerated lower limb BMJ. June 10; 320(7249): 1589?1591
  • Morrell, J., Stephen, J.W., Simon, D., Karen, A.C., Louise, M.L., Jean, P. & Charles, G.D. 1998, "Cost Effectiveness of Community Leg Ulcer Clinics: Randomised Controlled Trial", BMJ. British medical journal (Clinical research ed.), vol. 316, no. 7143, pp. 1487-1491.
  • Prionidis, I., Mootanah, R., Taylor, M., Browne, T., Hillstrom, H. (2008). An intermittent graduated pneumatic compression boot for the treatment and prevention of venous ulcers. Proceedings of the Emed Scientific Meeting, July 2008, Dundee.
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