Researchers have concluded that people with transtibial amputation may continue using prosthetic devices during wound healing if they use well-fitting sockets with vacuum-assisted suspension. The results were published May 17 in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
In the case study, six subjects with residual-limb wounds were fit with vacuum-assisted suspension sockets to determine if the suspension provided a sufficient reduction in intra-socket motion to allow wound healing. The subjects were instructed to continue their normal activity level while their wounds healed.
Wound surface area was calculated using ImageJ software, developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), at the time of fit and at each subsequent visit until wound closure. The average wound surface area at initial measurement was 2.17cm with a mean of 177.6 days to wound closure.
The researchers acknowledge that further study is required to substantiate their case-based observations.