Functional and Neuroprotective Effects of Restoring Lower Limb Sensation after Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

因此，该项目解决了退伍军人糖尿病患者可用干预措施的空白 周围神经病(DPN)，VHA内的一个庞大且不断增长的慢性病群体。 糖尿病患者截肢的风险是普通患者的10倍。 人口。我们预计，离散的、有意义的感觉是从 多点接触周围神经袖带电极可慢性诱发足部缺失 安装在退伍军人大腿膝盖以上的神经上，因以下原因而失去肢体 DPN。我们预计，这些电诱导的感觉可以保持健康和 它可以提高残肢的弹性，并在日常活动中提供有意义的反馈。我们会 严格记录医疗和用药历史，以及正在进行的 与植入的部件有关的疾病，并期望志愿者对它们有良好的耐受性 临床并发症最少。 截肢者不太注意他们的脚，有影响皮肤的并发症的风险，以及 由于常规使用假肢插座，他们的残肢下面的组织会受到伤害。我们期待着 通过神经刺激引起感觉缺失的脚将得到改善 目的探讨退伍军人因DPN失去肢体后残肢组织的健康状况。 对潜在的破坏性负载具有更强的弹性。即循环和残肢组织的健康 会有所改善，随着修复的进行，发生并发症的可能性将会降低 适当的感觉。因此，血液流量、体温、 经皮氧和其他潜在组织健康指标，以及 幻觉疼痛的频率和严重程度将因这种独特的干预而改变。 被认为与假体与人体的物理作用有关的感觉 由神经刺激引起的环境也将改善站立平衡、行走 退伍军人因以下原因失去肢体的力学、总体自信心和活动水平 DPN。站立平衡和摇摆，以及适应挑战或变化的能力 环境，以及对注意力、信心和恐惧的主观评估 在有和没有感觉刺激的情况下测量跌倒。我们还预计， 我们的感觉神经假体谁有DPN将发现它在家庭和社区中的价值 如使用模式，总站立和行走时间，以及主观评级 满足和努力。我们希望用户具有更高的移动性，并更有效地应对 对步态和平衡造成干扰。 我们将招募和招募总共五名新的参与者，他们将接受手术治疗 植入的系统，并充当它们自己的历史(植入前和植入后)和并发 (有无感觉刺激)对照。以前的感觉神经假体 由我们团队为创伤性经胫骨截肢者开发的无线加压装置 灵敏的鞋垫和外部神经刺激器将适应独特的临床需求 患有DPN的退伍军人通过选定的神经电极接触在 与脚部的身体输入相对应的适当强度。成功者 该项目的完成将产生定义以下要求所需的信息 适合DPN致肢体丧失的退伍军人自给自足系统的设计 用于更大规模的临床试验或商业赞助项目。

Thus project addresses a gap in the available interventions for Veterans with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN), a large and growing chronic disease population within the VHA. Individuals with diabetes have a 10-times higher risk of amputations than the general population. We expect that discrete, meaningful sensations perceived to be arising from the missing foot can be chronically elicited by multi-contact peripheral nerve cuff electrodes installed on the nerves in the thigh above the knee of Veterans with lower-limb loss due to DPN. We anticipate that these electrically elicited sensations can maintain the health and resiliency of the residual limb and provide meaningful feedback during daily activities. We will rigorously document medical and medication history, and the interactions of the ongoing disease with the implanted components, and expect them to be well tolerated by volunteers with minimal clinical complications. Amputees pay less attention to their feet, are at risk for complications affecting the skin and underlying tissues of their residual limb due to routine prosthetic socket use. We expect that eliciting sensation perceived as arising from the missing foot via neural stimulation will improve the health of the residual limb tissues of Veterans with limb loss due to DPN, and make them more resilient to potentially damaging loads. That is, circulation and residual limb tissue health will improve, and the likelihood of developing complications will decrease with the restoration of appropriate sensation. Therefore, physiological measures of blood flow, temperature, transcutaneous oxygen and other indicators of underlying tissue health, as well as the and frequency and severity of phantom pain will change as a result of this unique intervention. The sensations perceived as related to physical interactions of the prosthesis with the environment elicited with neural stimulation will also improve standing balance, walking mechanics, and overall confidence and activity levels of Veterans with lower-limb loss due to DPN. Standing balance and sway, and the ability to adapt to challenging or changing environments, as well as subjective assessments of attention, balance confidence and fear of falling measured with and without sensory stimulation. We further anticipate that recipients of our Sensory Neuroprosthesis who have DPN will find it valuable in the home and community as evidenced by patterns of usage, total standing and walking time, and subjective ratings of satisfaction and effort. We expect users to have increased mobility, and cope more effectively with disturbances to gait and balance. We will recruit and enroll a total of five new participants who will receive the surgically implanted systems, and act as their own historical (pre- and post-implantation) and concurrent (with and without sensory stimulation) controls. The Sensory Neuroprosthesis previously developed by our group for traumatic trans-tibial amputees consisting of a wireless pressure sensitive insole and external neural stimulator will be adapted for the unique clinical needs of Veterans with DPN to deliver stimulation to the nerve via selected nerve electrode contacts at the appropriate intensity corresponding to physical input to the foot. The successful completion of this project will yield the information required to define the requirements for the design of a self-contained system for Veterans with limb loss due to DPN that will be suitable for larger scale clinical trials or commercially-sponsored projects.