Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) is a proactive compression therapeutic technique in the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis, reduction of limb edema, and treatment of chronic venous ulcers. To appropriately detect and analyze biomechanical pressure profiles delivered by IPC in treatment, a dynamic interface pressure monitoring system was developed to visualize and quantify morphological pressure mapping in the spatial and temporal domains in real time. The system comprises matrix soft sensors, a smart IPC device, a monitoring and analysis software, and a display unit. The developed soft sensor fabricated by an advanced screen printing technology was used to detect intermitted pressure by an IPC device. The pneumatic pressure signals inside the bladders of the IPC were also transiently collected by a data acquisition system and then transmitted to the computer through Bluetooth. The experimental results reveal that the developed pressure monitoring system can perform the real-time detection of dynamic pressures by IPC and display the morphological pressure mapping multi-dimensionally. This new system provides a novel modality to assist in the effective evaluation of proactive compression therapy in practice. The study results contribute to understanding the working mechanisms of IPC and improving its functional design based on intuitive biomechanical characteristics of compression delivery profiles.
Keywords: compression therapy; intermittent pneumatic compression; lower limb; morphological pressure mapping; soft sensor.