Capacitance as a a risk for a diabetic foot ulcer? (patent)

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"The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for measuring capacitance as an indication of susceptibility to the formation of a diabetic foot ulcer."

"In an aspect, the present disclosure provides for, and includes, an apparatus for assessing susceptibility of tissue to formation of a diabetic foot ulcer, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of electrodes embedded on a substrate, where a pair of the electrodes is capable of forming a capacitive sensor configured to measure a first capacitance of a first region of tissue proximate to the capacitive sensor, a circuit electronically coupled to the electrodes, a processor electronically coupled to the circuit, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium electronically coupled to the processor and comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed on the processor, perform the steps of: receiving information from the circuit regarding the measured first capacitance from the capacitive sensor, comparing the measured first capacitance to a first reference value, and providing a signal if the measured first capacitance differs from the first reference value by an amount greater than a first predetermined threshold.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides for, and includes, a method for assessing susceptibility of tissue to formation of a diabetic foot ulcer, the method comprising:
obtaining a first capacitance value at a first location of a patient's skin; obtaining a temperature measurement at the first location of a patient's skin; and determining that the first location of a patient's skin is susceptible to formation of a diabetic foot ulcer when the first capacitance value differs from the first reference value by an amount greater than a first predetermined threshold and the temperature measurement differs from the second reference value by an amount greater than a second predetermined threshold.
In an aspect, the present disclosure provides for, and includes, a method for assessing susceptibility of tissue to formation of a diabetic foot ulcer, the method comprising: obtaining a first sub-epidermal moisture (SEM) value at a first location of a patient's skin; obtaining a temperature measurement at the first location of a patient's skin; and determining that the first location of a patient's skin is susceptible to formation of a diabetic foot ulcer when the first SEM value differs from the first reference value by an amount greater than a first predetermined threshold and the temperature measurement differs from the second reference value by an amount greater than a second predetermined threshold.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides for, and includes, an integrated apparatus for treating a diabetic foot ulcer in a patient in need thereof, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of sensors disposed on a flexible substrate, wherein the plurality of sensors are configured to measure sub-epidermal moisture (SEM) values at respective locations of the patient's skin; two electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate; and an external controller electrically connected to the two electrodes, where the external controller controls the two electrodes to detect conductive contact with the patient's skin during a SEM measurement period, and the external controller controls the two electrodes to apply a therapeutic stimulus to the patient during a therapeutic phase.
In an aspect, the present disclosure provides for, and includes, an integrated apparatus for treating a diabetic foot ulcer in a patient in need thereof, the apparatus comprising: a sensor comprising two electrodes disposed on a flexible substrate such that a current passing between the electrodes will pass through tissue proximate to a location of the patient's skin; and an external controller electrically connected to the two electrodes."

Patent attached

 

Here is another patent on this:
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-....html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&s1=20200069242.PGNR.