Brace materials for patients with post-stroke hemiplegia: categories and biocompatibility / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Rehabilitation brace can significantly improve the motor function of patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the types and biocompatibility of brace materials for post-stroke hemiplegia. METHODS: A computer-based search of Wanfang, CNKI, PubMed databases was performed for articles related to post-stroke hemiplegia and biocompatibility of brace materials published from 1999 to 2015 using the keywords of cerebral apoplexy, hemiplegia, support, material in Chinese and English, respectively. In the same field, the articles published recently or in authoritative journals were preferred. Finaly, 15 articles were enroled in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Thermoplastic orthoses are mainly made of polypropylene materials, which are used for foot drop caused by post-stroke hemiplegia. Polypropylene has high strength and good toughness, and it is also safe and non-toxic. Semi-rigid planta pedis can help the lift of the toe in swing phase. Orthoses made of polymer fiber materials are characterized by ease of use, good toughness, high strength, and good air permeability, which cannot impact X-ray examination. Carbon fiber materials have light mass, high specific strength and modulus, good anti-fatigue performance, good safety performance and good designability. Clinical trials have shown that patients wearing ankle foot orthoses made of polypropylene and carbon fiber materials have improvement in walking distance and speed of climbing stairs, and these patients also feel more balanced and secure. Experimental studies on different orthotics materials can get more patient preferences, which have a great help for the design and development of orthotics materials.