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CANADIAN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, 2018; ABSTRACT, POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE AOPA’S 101ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEPT. 26-29, 
VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32011 

 

1 

 
OPEN  ACCESS 

 

AOPA’S 101 ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ABSTRACTS, SEPTEMBER 26-29, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018 
 

ABSTRACT (POSTER PRESENTATION) 

PATIENT TRIAL EVALUATION OF A PERFORATED, PIN-LOCK PROSTHETIC 

LINER FOR SWEAT MANAGEMENT  

Ana Gallego*1, Joe McCarthy1, Michael McGrath1, Alan Kercher2, Saeed Zahedi1, David Moser1 

1Endolite Technology Centre, Basingstoke, UK  
2Endolite North America, Miamisburg, OH, USA 

 * Email: ana.gallego@blatchford.co.uk 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32011  
 

INTRODUCTION 

 Among amputees, the most commonly reported problem 

affecting daily quality-of-life is excessive sweating1,2. 

Some studies report that as many as seven out of ten 

amputees are affected1,3. Compared to able-bodied 

people, trans-tibial amputees expend up to 40% more 

energy during every-day activities, which contributes to 

excess perspiration4. Particularly common is localised 

sweating on the residual limb. This could be due to the 

use prosthetic liners made from non-porous, cushioning 

materials, such as TPE Gel, Polyurethane or silicones. 

With these problems in mind, a type of silicone liner has 

been produced that contains perforations along the length 

and at the distal end. These perforations permit the warm 

air to move away from the residuum, allowing better air 

circulation and, if sweating does occur, the perforations 

allow moisture to escape. The result is drier, cooler skin 

and a healthier environment for the residual limb. This 

study reports prosthetist and patient feedback data from 

trials of the pin-lock version of these liners. 

METHODS 

A custom-made questionnaire was constructed to gather 

feedback about both liner design and patient outcomes 

during the trial. All patients transitioned from their 

previous prosthetic liners to perforated, pin-lock liners 

(Silcare Breathe Locking liner – SBL – Endolite). Of all 

the patients identified as suitable for the trial, 23 trans-

tibial amputees supplied responses (3 x K2, 14 x K3, 6 x 

K4; 20 x unilateral, 3 x bilateral; 17 male, 6 female). 

Questionnaires were requesting at fitting, and 1, 3 and 6 

months into the trial.  

RESULTS 

The prosthetist feedback proved largely positive for the 

SBL liner. At the fitting stage, 100% of patients had a 

problem with sweating (n=18), while after 3-4 months of 

wearing the SBL, only 33% did (n=12), some of which 

stated that this was only during exercise. After 6 months, 

the only patients  that still  had a problem with sweating  

specified that it was ‘greatly reduced’. At each stage of 

the trial, the distal seal held sufficient vacuum for over 

77-92% of respondents, while no patient reported finding 

this seal uncomfortable at any stage in the trial. From the 

patient’s perspective, the self-perceived issues with 

sweating reduced from 89% ‘yes’ at fitting (n=19), to 

exclusively ‘only during exercise’ or ‘greatly reduced’ 

after 3 and 6 months. When asked whether they ever had 

to stop using their prosthesis due to sweating, 47% stated 

“yes” at fitting (n=17), whereas after 3-4 months, no-one 

had this issue. I Likert scale was used to rate how much 

heat/sweat there was compared to their previous liners 

(1=much less, 4= same, 7=much more); mean responses 

were less than 3 at all stages of the trial.  

 

Figure 1: The prosthetist feedback from different time points 

during the patient trial 

CONCLUSION 

The findings of the SBL patient trials showed the benefits 

of the liner perforations. The impact of excess sweating 

on the patients’ everyday activities was largely reduced. 

In particular, sweating to the extent that it stopped 

prosthetic limb use was completely eradicated. This will 

have a large impact on their independence and 

consequently their quality-of-life. 

mailto:ana.gallego@blatchford.co.uk
https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32011


 

 

Ana Gallego A, McCarthy J, McGrath M, Kercher A, Zahedi S, Moser D. PATIENT TRIAL EVALUATION OF A PERFORATED, PIN-LOCK PROSTHETIC LINER FOR SWEAT MANAGEMENT.  
CANADIAN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, 2018; ABSTRACT, POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE AOPA’S 101ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEPT. 26-29, 
VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32011 

 

2 

 
OPEN  ACCESS 

 

AOPA’S 101 ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ABSTRACTS, SEPTEMBER 26-29, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018 
 

ABSTRACT (POSTER PRESENTATION) 

SIGNIFICANCE 

Appropriate sweat management can vastly improve the 

quality-of-life and residual limb health of amputees. 

REFERENCES 

1.Hagberg & Brånemark. Consequences of non-vascular trans-

femoral amputation: a survey of quality of life, prosthetic use 

and problems. Prosthet Orthot Int. 2001;25(3):186–194. 
DOI:10.1080/03093640108726601 

 2.Meulenbelt et al. Determinants of skin problems of the 

stump in lower-limb amputees. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2009 

Jan;90(1):74–81. DOI:10.1016/j.apmr.2008.07.015 

3.Berke et al. Comparison of satisfaction with current 

prosthetic care in veterans and servicemembers from Vietnam 

and OIF/OEF conflicts with major traumatic limb loss. J 

Rehabil Res Dev. 2010;47(4):361. 

DOI:10.1682/JRRD.2009.12.0193 

4.Gonzalez & Mathews. Femoral fractures in patients with 

lower extremity amputations. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 

1980;61(6):276–280. 

DISCLOSURE 

The Authors are employees of Endolite North America or 

Blatchford (the parent company of Endolite North America); 

the manufacturer of the liner being evaluated in this study. 

 

 

 

 

https://doi.org/10.1080/03093640108726601
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2008.07.015

