High-tech or solving the needs in developing countries

Current advances in medicine and technology have lead to the development of very sophisticated techniques in designing and manufacturing prosthetic devices. High technology is available in some countries and at very high cost. However, in developing countries there are still basic needs to be satisfied, where patients due to economical limitations are restricted to use prosthesis made of simple techniques. It means that the construction of low cost prosthesis is an intricate challenge. This paper presents the process of designing and manufacturing a transtibial prosthesis for a 14 year old patient in Venezuela. The socket was thermoformed by drape forming using PP copolymer in a homemade vacuum system. The adapter that connects the socket with the artificial foot was manufactured using Nylon 6 6. All the prosthesis was fabricated using low cost material found locally. The patient is very satisfied with the new prosthesis, which shows how the will and the motivation of the participants in this project are more important, in the development of prosthetic devices, than the lack of high-tech.