Pressure Ulcer Formation Prevention in Paraplegics Using Computer and Sensory Substitution via the Tongue: First Steps in a Sustainability Study

Alexandre Moreau-Gaudry (1) , Olivier Chenu (1) , Anne Prince (2) , Jacques Demongeot (1) , Yohan Payan (3)

1 TIMC-IMAG - Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - Informatique, Mathématiques et Applications, Grenoble - UMR 5525
2 CMUDD - Centre Médico Universitaire Daniel Douady
3 TIMC-IMAG-GMCAO - Gestes Medico-chirurgicaux Assistés par Ordinateur

Since pressure ulcers remain a major health issue in individuals with spinal cord injuries, a new medical device is being developed. Based on the principle of sensory substitution, it aims at compensating the sensory deprivation in the buttock area by the tactile sensory modality in the tongue area. This paper concisely describes the last homemade medical device and reports the first methodological steps of a sustainability study: an open pilot prospective clinical study in 10 healthy seated subjects with 92% success in 100 performed tests; a current open randomized prospective controlled clinical trial with the methodology used

Mots clés: pressure sores prevention; sensory substitution; tongue display unit

Domaines: Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]; Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]; Ingénierie biomédicale; Neurosciences

Alexandre Moreau-Gaudry, Olivier Chenu, Anne Prince, Jacques Demongeot, Yohan Payan. Pressure Ulcer Formation Prevention in Paraplegics Using Computer and Sensory Substitution via the Tongue: First Steps in a Sustainability Study. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 2007, 129, pp.1695-1697. ⟨hal-00340720⟩