Active Wearable Compression with Shape Memory Actuators for Treating Chronic Edema

Chronic edema can occur from impairment of the lymphatic, arterial, and venous systems. It can be a lifelong condition where self-care and treatment are necessary to manage the progressive worsening of the disease, which can lead to increased risk for infection, cellulitis, ulceration, wound, and amputation. At-home treatment options for this chronic debilitating disease are very limited. Existing PCDs have been around for several decades and have several major disadvantages. SMA embodied in a novel NPCD format allows for opportunity to address some of these disadvantages. Comparison of the two types of compression devices SMA-based NPCD and traditional PCD are evaluated and discussed in this study. Pressures were compared on both silicon and human subjects and visualization of applied pressure was also analyzed. Both devices provide comparable pressure range though PCD has higher variability in terms of uniformity of pressure applied. NPCD using SMA offers new treatment opportunity for patients with chronic edema at home in an entirely mobile and wearable platform.