To address sweating and heat buildup at the skin-prosthetic liner interface, a team of researchers tested a vented liner-socket system compared to a silicone liner and non-vented socket to evaluate the vented system’s ability to reduce relative humidity during increased sweat. The study concluded that relative humidity was significantly lessened, and perceived sweating, as reported by the prosthesis users, improved with the vented socket.
The clinical pilot study was a randomized, controlled, open label, crossover study design with regard to relative humidity, perceived sweat, stability, comfort, and suspension.
The nine participants, who used non-vented prosthetic systems, were fitted to the VS device at SRT National Prosthetic Center, Indiana. All other study-related activities occurred at Indiana University School of Medicine. After at least two weeks of adaptation time, the participants randomized to two arms of the study: the interventional device arm, a vented investigational device (VS), the Össur AeroFit socket and liner; and a standard of care or comparator device arm, the Össur Seal-In silicone liner and the AeroFit Socket with sealed vents (nVS).
For testing, the participants were randomized to VS or nVS and walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes.
The researchers found that with VS, relative humidity was significantly lessened, and perceived sweating, as reported by the prosthesis users, improved. Patient-reported outcomes on the Comprehensive Lower Limb Amputee Socket Survey to determine the suspension, stability, and comfort were not significantly different between VS and nVS.
The open-access study, “Moisture mitigation using a vented liner and a vented socket system for individuals with transfemoral amputation,” was published in Scientific Reports.
