
An App to Avoid Amputation
Dr. Karen Cross from Newfoundland and Labrador is working on a device for
smart-phones that could help people with diabetes keep their feet. "This
piece of technology essentially sees what the eye cannot see," Cross told
CBC's Central Morning Show. "You take a quick picture and it can give us all
this novel information about your physiology."
Cross said diabetics have a number of things going on that make them prone
to foot problems that can escalate and ultimately need amputating. "They
have a harder time getting blood and nutrients to the tiny vessels in their
extremities," she said. "That makes them prone to numbness, injury. and
infections. Their immune systems are already compromised, which makes it
harder for them to fight the infection."
Cross is a skin specialist and a surgeon, specializing in patients who
cannot heal their skin problems. In her regular practice, she found that
diabetic patients were coming to her too late.
"I was amputating limbs more than was necessary," she said. In response, she
developed Mimosa, a small camera and an accompanying app, to help stop that
trend.
The small camera attaches to a patient's smartphone and, using specialized
light, takes a detailed image of a patient's foot and determines whether
there are problems with the skin that could lead to diabetic infection that
aren't yet noticeable to the human eye. The app connects with the patient's
doctor or healthcare provider to share the images.
"This technology can, through artificial intelligence, look at [your
foot] and say, 'OK, your foot's OK today,' or 'Your foot's not OK,' and your
physician can screen those images," she explains. So far, trials for Mimosa
have taken place in Toronto, where Cross lives and works. It has been tested
within the hospital system and other healthcare sites. Next, Cross will be
looking for rural participants to test the app. The platform is pending
approval from the Food and Drug Agency and Health Canada and Cross expects
it to be commercially available within two years. First published at
www.cbc.ca with files from the Central Morning Show.