Journal des complications et de la médecine du diabète

Development of Polyurethane (PU) Memory Foam in Sock for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients in Ethiopia

Abstract

Adane Adugna Ayalew*and Awoke Fenta Wedag

Foot ulcer is mainly developing due to diabetic disease. It is an open sore on the foot. The aim of this research is to develop polyurethane memory foam insock in Ethiopia by replacing costly material silicon surfactant and distill water by locally available and affordable input materials castor oil as surfactant and tap water instead of distilled water for the diabetic foot ulcer patients. Under this research, it was able to prove the severity of foot ulcer in Ethiopia and enhance the high demand of orthotic appliance. Three memory foam insock with different surfactant ratios were manufactured at AMAGA P.L.C foam factory, Bahir Dar Ethiopia, using standard Polyols and diisocyanates. The in sock was prepared by using materials used in the factory to prepare PU memory foam mattress with 5 g, 9.5 g and 10.36 g of castor oil surfactant amount as a new replaced material instead of costly silicon surfactant from the three, the first castor oil (5 g) is not form a foam and hence no further investigation is conducted on it. Physical properties such as thickness, density, Hardness, Compression set, water absorption and abrasion resistance of developed in sock were tested. Further the new developed in sock was compared with that of existed commercial polyurethane in sock and the SATRA standards. The new developed insock has showed an equivalent mechanical property with the standard.