Happenings RESEARCH ROUNDUP
GAO Investigates Population of Female Veterans With Limb Loss
Examples of female veterans’ lower-limb prostheses Female veterans with amputations were younger than their male counterparts, averaging 61 years compared to 69 years for men. Among veterans with amputations who also had diabetes or cardiovascular conditions, the number and proportion of female veterans with amputations increased from 769 (1.5 percent) in fiscal year 2015 to 1,077 (1.9 percent) in fiscal year 2019. The number and proportion of inpatient and outpatient visits increased
PHOTO: GAO (photos) | GAO-21-60
The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a report in November detailing a study of women veterans who use prostheses. According to the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) Amputee Data Repository, the female veteran amputee population grew from 2,049 veterans (2.3 percent of the total veteran amputee population) to 2,622 veterans (2.7 percent) from fiscal year 2015 to 2019. During this timeframe, VHA provided 47,939 artificial limbs to female veterans.
among female veteran amputees from fiscal year 2015 to 2019, rising from 973 female veterans (2.2 percent of all visits to an O&P clinic) to 1,587 (3.0 percent). In addition, the number of visits to an O&P clinic increased from 475 per 1,000 female veteran amputees to 605 visits per 1,000 female veteran amputees from fiscal year 2015 to 2019, representing a 27.4 percent change. VHA has boosted initiatives to raise awareness of the prosthetic services provided to female veterans, according to the report. One VA medical facility created a prosthetics boutique in its women’s health clinic so that veterans could view gender-specific devices and ask contracted vendors questions about the items. The full report is available on the GAO website at www.gao.gov/assets/720/710600.pdf.
Study of Fingerprints Aids in Prosthetic Research
10
JANUARY 2021 | O&P ALMANAC
the resulting increase in the compliance of the ridges causes the sweat pores eventually to become blocked and prevents excessive moisture that reduces the ability to grip objects. The research team leveraged laser-based imaging technology and discovered that moisture regulation could be explained by the combination of sweat pore blocking and the accelerated evaporation of excessive moisture from external wetting as a result of the specific cross-sectional shape of the epidermal furrows when in contact with an object. These two functions result in maintaining the optimum amount of moisture in the fingerprint ridges, which maximizes friction whether the finger pad is initially wet or dry. “This dual-mechanism for managing moisture has provided primates with an evolutionary advantage in dry and wet conditions, giving them manipulative and locomotive abilities not available to other animals, such as bears and big cats,” said Adams. Future studies could help scientists develop better prosthetic limbs, robotic equipment, and virtual reality environments, according to Adams.
PHOTO: Getty Images
Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom are partnering with research institutions in South Korea in studying fingerprints to determine how to develop improved prostheses. Fingerprints help increase friction when in contact with smooth surfaces, improve grips on rough surfaces, enhance tactile sensitivity, and employ moisture-regulating mechanisms—qualities that are important to understand when building artificial hands, according to the researchers. “Understanding the influence of finger pad friction will help us to develop more realistic tactile sensors—for example, applications in robotics and prosthetics and haptic feedback systems for touch screens and virtual reality environments,” said Mike Adams, PhD, CEng, professor in product engineering and manufacturing at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study. The researchers have discovered that, when finger pads are in contact with impermeable surfaces, the sweat from pores in the ridges makes the skin softer, which increases friction. However,
