Speaker: Hannah Morgan
Advisor: Dr. Charkhkar
Title: Towards Restoring Sensation and Improving Tissue Health in Amputees with Diabetes
Abstract: Diabetes is the leading cause of lower limb amputations in the United States, contributing to 73,000 amputations per year. Many of these amputations are a result of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a loss of peripheral nerve fibers due to elevated blood glucose levels. Damaging sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves in the extremities, DPN contributes to difficulties with prosthesis use and poor residuum tissue health in this population, leading to poor functional and clinical outcomes. I will discuss the potential for applying sensory nerve stimulation in amputees with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and my work with traumatic amputee participants developing tissue health metrics that can be applied as the project moves forward.