Moisture Mitigation Using a Vented Liner and a Vented Socket System for Individuals with Transfemoral Amputation

Abstract

Sweating and heat buildup at the skin-liner interface is a major challenge for amputees. Liners made of heat-non-conducting materials cause sweating of the residual limb and may result in liners slipping off the skin surface, causing skin breakdown and affecting limb health. To address this, we evaluated the efficacy of the vented liner-socket system (VS, Össur) compared to Seal-In silicone liner and non-vented socket (nVS, Össur) in reducing relative humidity (RH) during increased perspiration. Nine amputees using nVS were randomized to VS or nVS in a 20-minute treadmill walk. RH was significantly attenuated (p < 0.0002) and perceived sweating improved (p < 0.05) with VS, patient-reported CLASS outcomes to determine the suspension, stability, comfort, and appearance were not significantly different between VS and nVS. There are limited rigorous scientific studies that clearly provide evidence-based guidelines to the prosthetist in the selection of liners from numerous available options. The present study is innovative in clearly establishing objective measures for assessing humidity and temperatures at the skin-liner interface while performing activity. This study provided maiden evidence that relative humidity at the skin-liner interface is reduced with the use of a vented liner-socket system when compared to a similar non-vented system.