Moisture Management Liner Effectiveness Study

The comfort and fit of the residual limb within a prosthetic socket are of primary concern for many amputees. The residual limb is typically covered by non-breathable and non- thermally conductive materials that can create a warm and ultimately moist environment. The investigators have developed a silicone liner approach to remove sweat from the skin and out of the socket and to passively conduct heat from the skin using thermally conductive elastomers. This liner has been developed to work alongside a thermo-electric cooling (TEC)-based module called the Intrasocket Cooling Element (ICE) developed in a parallel project by Vivonics, Inc. and Liberating Technologies, Inc. The ICE device can be embedded into the prosthesis in order to cool the residual limb. A technology that can provide thermal control while retaining adequate suspension, weight, and other prosthetic characteristics would benefit many prosthesis wearers.