SISTINE: Sensorized socks for telemonitoring of vascular disease patients

Vascular diseases have a strong impact on the person's health and require periodic medical checks to be treated. Their long-term treatment involves considerable costs for the health system and numerous difficulties for the patient. Telemedicine can be a good solution to monitor the progress of the disease and prevent complications. In the context of the Internet of Things, intelligent systems directly connected to the network can be built to allow the continuous exchange of information between patient and doctor and to report any anomalies that may occur in real time. This work shows the development of SISTINE, a telemedicine system based on a sensorized sock that, by monitoring physical quantities such as plantar pressure, acceleration of body segments or limb volume, allows a continuous assessment of patients suffering from phlebopathy. The entire acquisition, transmission and processing system is also described. This wearable device was used in a feasibility study involving 13 patients with vascular disease recruited at the 'Casa di Cura Pierangeli' in Pescara. The data collected from an orthostatic posture and a dynamic timed-up-and-go test were processed to provide the doctor with an indication of the patient's health status. The results obtained, with reference to spatio-temporal parameters, plantar pressures and the trend of center of pressure, were in line with those obtained in scientific research.