'consistent amplitude'

Peripheral neuropathy is the prime cause of diabetic foot ulceration. Ulceration, in turn, is the key factor that may precipitate a cascade of events leading to lower-extremity amputation. Checking the loss of Thermal Sense, Vibration sense and protective Touch Sense will help the management of diabetic neuropathy and its effect on the foot. Three important simple devices are packaged in the Neuropathy Assessment Kit (NA03) for the effective management of diabetic neuropathy. The kit contains a Tiptherm, a Vibratip and Monofilament 10gm(25 Nos). TIP THERM® is a simple device for the early diagnosis of symmetrical polyneuropathy by measuring the loss of temperature sensitivity of the skin. TIP THERM® was developed to give the clinician and patient a convenient and easy-to-use method of testing. This device is recommended to use, at a room temperature of 23° C. Failure to perceive variances in temperature in the extremities is the most decisive early symptom of distal symmetric polyneuropathy, a typical ailment accompanying diabetes mellitus (Ziegler 1988). Portable Vibration sense device VIBRATIPTM is a device resembling a small key fob that provides a near-silent vibration of consistent amplitude at a frequency similar to that of a calibrated tuning fork. It is intended for use when testing a person’s vibration perception during routine checks for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in people who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It is a disposable device works for about 250 patients, and vibrates at 125 Hz with an intensity equivalent to that of a Biothesiometer at 25 Volts. When the patient does not feel the vibration is classified as a high-risk category. MF10GM: Monofilaments 10gm is an effective, convenient, easy to use, relatively inexpensive way of testing for loss of protective touch sense in the feet. It is designed for single-patient use and can be used till 100 bends or filament damage.

The Durometer is commonly also known as Shore Meter. There are two variants in this Shore Meter. They are Shore Meter A and Shore meter D. Shore durometer A is a device for measuring the hardness of soft material, typically of polymers, elastomers, and rubbers. Shore Meter D is mainly for hard materials like plastics, steel etc., We are distributing Shore Meter A and all the discussions and descriptions are about them only. Higher numbers on the scale indicate a greater resistance to indentation and thus harder materials. Lower numbers indicate less resistance and softer materials. Durometer measurement scales range from 0 to 100 and simply represent a relative comparison of hardness difference. The durometer has shown consistent reliability in the objective assessment of skin hardness in patients with systemic sclerosis and localized scleroderma. It is an easy-to-use and simple method, which can provide a correct numeric evaluation of hypertrophic scars induration and objective control of therapeutic efficacy during treatment over time. Determination of skin hardness by this instrument has been proven to be accurate and reproducible, both in normal and pathological conditions. Increased foot sole hardness and peripheral neuropathy are suggested to be important risk factors for foot ulceration. In subjects with diabetes, it was found in numerous research that differences and variations in foot sole hardness were found to be significantly different in subjects with and without diabetic neuropathy using Durometer (Shore meter). Hence shore meter was more sensitive and provided a feasible means of measuring foot sole hardness in subjects with diabetic neuropathy. Foot sole hardness in diabetic feet can be considered as a potential determinant of foot sole ulcerations. The durometer has potential use in many dermatological disorders as a tool to be used routinely to demonstrate improvement in treatment, particularly in burn patients where cosmetic appearance and functional status represent major concerns for the patient.