Proposal of a Non-Invasive Measurement of Physical Properties of Tissues in Patients with Diabetic Foot: Measurement Experiences in Diagnosed Patients

Abstract

Diabetic foot is one of the most serious complications in patients with diabetes mellitus. It is distinguished by the development of ulcerations on the sole of the foot. Before the appearance of these, patients with diabetes suffer changes in the tissues of the foot and nearby tissues. This work proposes systems that measure and identify the changes in the physical characteristics of the foot tissues in two study groups, diabetic patients and healthy subjects, with the purpose of proposing tools to physicians to follow up each patient and identify with certainty the evolution in symptoms. The results of the temperature systems show that there is an average temperature difference of ~2 °C between diabetic patients and healthy subjects. Using an electrical impedance system, a frequency window was found between 5 kHz and 22 kHz, where the impedance is significantly different (p > 0.001) between diabetic and healthy patients. The system oriented to macules on the skin is able to identify the type of macules developed by the diabetic patient. In temperature measurement with images from a smartphone, plantar temperature monitoring was achieved in at-risk areas in uncontrolled environments. The results presented in this work were obtained in a time period from 2014 to 2022. Considering the standardization of this equipment when making a diagnosis regarding the study of tissues in the diabetic foot, it will be possible to detect it early. Through differences between the measurements, we have an indicator of the patient’s evolution, and we must highlight that these systems are easy to install, easy to interpret and low cost. Currently, there are no systems with these characteristics, which is why the early detection of diabetic foot is being widely studied.