The High-Fidelity (HiFi) Interface, from biodesigns inc, may be superior to a traditional standard of care socket in terms of balance confidence, walking speed, and capacity among transfemoral (above the knee) amputees, according to a recent study. The study, published in Technology and Innovation, compared the HiFi socket and the ischial/ramus containment (IRS) socket—a commonly used socket type for transfemoral amputees—on walking capacity and balance confidence using the Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) and the 2-minute walk test (2MWT), according to a media release from Westlake Village, Calif-based biodesigns inc. According to the study, per the release, the ABC score among patients wearing the HiFi was 90.7, and the ABC score among patients wearing the IRC socket was 77.2. In addition, regarding the 2MWT test, patients wearing the HiFi socket could walk 110.4 meters (362.2 feet), compared to 98.1 meters (301.1 feet) wearing the IRC socket. Issues among transfemoral amputees include fear of falling and walking capacity, per the release. Researchers suggest that the HiFi’s features, including its osseostabilizing ability, as well as its less cumbersome walls and subischial trimlines, may offer improved freedom of movement, walking capacity, and balance confidence in higher functioning transfemoral amputees, compared to a traditional SOC socket. ”The HiFi’s ability to capture and control the patient’s underlying bone through our compression and tissue release technology is the key to it all. This allows our trimlines to be lower, improving range of motion and comfort, while providing unmatched control, function and performance, no matter the suspension technique or K-level,” states Randall Alley, CEO/chief prosthetist, who created the HiFi socket, in the release. [Source: biodesigns inc]