Impaired blood circulation in the lower limbs is a common health problem among the elderly and one of the most prominent complications of diabetes, called diabetic foot. A syndrome characterised by foot ulcers, often associated with infection, it is the leading cause of hospitalisation and up to 30 percent of amputations. To reduce the likelihood of such highly traumatic consequences, scientists from Lithuania have worked together to develop an ultrasonic foot stimulation device that can non-invasively improve blood circulation in the lower limbs.
This innovative device was created through a collaborative effort of scientists from the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU).
According to them, the main focus is on improving solutions for the problem of large blood vessels through mini-interventional methods. However, clinical solutions for diagnosing and correcting minor vascular disorders, searching for effective and non-invasive methods, and their practical implementation are lacking.
Increasing prevalence of diabetes
Up to 40 per cent of patients who do not develop severe changes in the large blood vessels are treated with conventional symptomatic medications, often without treatment at all. They are simply attributing to psychosomatic symptoms without investigating the possible causes of such complaints. Then, the problem deepens, and often, the consequences become difficult to correct or irreversible.