MAJOR CONTRIBUTION to AK suspension

Benveniste, David Mark

Description

Title:

MAJOR CONTRIBUTION to AK suspension

Creator:

Benveniste, David Mark

Date:

1/29/2007

Text:

Dear Colleagues,

I think we all understand that a total suction socket is the most
positive suspension for a prosthesis, short of a direct connection with
the skeletal system. Pins and lanyards allow for volume compensation but
don't allow for the suction suspension between the whole socket and
the limb. Even the Seal-in liner suspends distally but, as many
prosthetists have pointed out, it would be better if the sealing ring
was more proximal. Of course, total suction sockets have the
disadvantage of being unable to compensate for volume loss and
difficulty in providing comfort for distal femurs with poor tissue
coverage.

I just came back from attending an unrelated seminar at Walter Reed
Medical Center. The practitioners are impressive in their enthusiasm,
skill, and creativity. It was both inspiring and informative to be
there.

One of the creative efforts that I saw is a gel liner suspension
technique created by John Warren CP.
It is an elegant solution because of it's simplicity and effectiveness.
It combines the comfort and compensation capability of a liner AND total
suction - something I have tried to figure out myself for sometime now.

Called the Warren Flip, it consists of a cushion liner and uses a valve.
The liner is reflected back on itself proximately, hence the Flip.
This provides the seal. To compensate for volume loss, a sock is put on
and held in place under the reflected liner. The only remaining problem
is to don the socket. This problem is addressed by
using a donning sleeve made out of rip-stop nylon that is sold by most
of the major distributors, at least in the US.

This is one of those ideas I wish I had thought of before and am
grateful to John for thinking of it. There may be some liners that work
better than others and it does require the ability to use the donning
sleeve to pull in.

It is entirely possible to add additional vacuum if desired using a
variety of techniques from a manual pump to the other systems currently
available.

You will be hearing more about this system in the near future. Keep an
eye out in John Michaels column as well.

Mark Benveniste RN BS CP
MEDVA Medical Center
Houston, TX
USA





                          

Citation

Benveniste, David Mark, “MAJOR CONTRIBUTION to AK suspension,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/227883.