Personal at-home diagnostic tool for peripheral neuropathy
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1.5 billion patients have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy (PN) – a degenerative nerve disorder – and spend up to $12,000 in diagnostic costs in the US alone. Current diagnostic methods are expensive, inconvenient, and often unnecessary. There is a need for a user-friendly, at-home device that will accurately record and monitor the patient’s progression of PN. A device was created with a simple user interface and an adjustable structure to which the patient’s foot and lower leg can be secured. Sural nerve conduction velocity and compound action potential data collected from this device will be stored on an Electronic Medical Record for a health care professional to inspect the progression of PN over time and adjust individual treatments as necessary. This is accomplished by comparing the timeline of results to a baseline test that the health care professional conducts initially. Although electro-diagnostic technology that tests the state of a nerve currently exists (e.g. NeuroMetrix’s NC-stat DPNcheck), there is no known device that will allow patients to test and record the condition of their nerves from the comfort of their home. This device will help prevent further progression of PN and will open the door for more at home health monitoring devices.
