A 52-year-old patient walks into your clinic for a routine diabetes check-up.
No complaints.
No visible wounds.
But hidden beneath the surface, nerve damage is silently advancing. By the time symptoms appear, irreversible damage may already be done.
This scenario plays out thousands of times every day.
Between 19% and 34% of people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime [1]. In India alone, nearly 4.5% of newly diagnosed diabetic patients already show signs of foot complications [2].
These numbers tell a sobering story.
Ulcers lead to infections.
Infections lead to hospitalizations.
And in the worst cases, they lead to amputations that could have been prevented.
Early detection changes everything. Nerve damage, vascular changes, and thermal irregularities often appear long before any visible injury.
But here’s the problem—assessing all these parameters properly requires multiple devices, multiple appointments, and often, fragmented data that’s hard to piece together.
What if you could assess protective sensation, vibration perception, thermal function, and skin temperature all in one go?
What if it took just minutes instead of multiple sessions?
That’s exactly what the next generation of diabetic foot care looks like.
Let’s explore how Yostra’s 5-in-1 portable device is changing the game.
Why Integrated Diagnostics Matter
Walk into most clinics today, and foot screening looks like this:
- A monofilament test for protective sensation
- A tuning fork or biothesiometer for vibration
- Separate thermal devices for hot and cold perception
- An infrared thermometer for skin temperature
- Vascular assessments in another room (if at all)
It’s a patchwork approach. And it comes with real problems:
Time inefficiency
Switching between devices, recalibrating equipment, repositioning patients—it all adds up. In a busy clinic, this eats into valuable time.
Operator variability
Different instruments. Different users. Different techniques. The result? Inconsistent data that’s hard to compare across visits.
Data silos
Results scattered across different formats and systems make it nearly impossible to see the complete picture at a glance.
Missed connections
When tests are done separately, you might miss critical correlations between nerve function, thermal changes, and vascular status.
Now, let’s imagine a different scenario.
One patient.
One session.
One device that captures everything.
Results compiled into a unified report. Data you can track over time. Insights that actually help you stratify risk and intervene early.
That’s the power of integration. And that’s what makes all the difference in preventing complications before they spiral.
5 Technologies in One—What They Are and Why They Matter
Yostra’s device (often called NEURO TOUCH) combines five critical diagnostic modalities into one compact unit.
Let’s look at what each one does and why it matters:
1. Monofilament Test (Protective Sensation)
- Tests whether patients can feel a 10g monofilament
- Loss of protective sensation is one of the biggest red flags for ulceration
- Digital integration ensures consistent pressure and automatic recording
2. Vibration Perception (Biothesiometry)
- Assesses large myelinated nerve fibers through vibration thresholds
- Far more precise than a tuning fork
- Catches early neuropathy before it progresses
3. Hot Perception Test (Thermal/Warm Sensation)
- Tests small-fiber function (C fibers), which can be damaged early in neuropathy
- Detecting warm perception deficits helps flag small-fiber neuropathy in its earliest stages
4. Cold Perception Test
- Provides complementary information on Aδ and C fiber pathways
- Together with hot perception, gives you a complete small-fiber profile
5. Skin Temperature (Infrared Thermometry)
- Detects hotspots or temperature asymmetries
- Flags early inflammation or pre-ulceration before anything is visible
- Reflects vascular and autonomic changes
Some advanced versions even include vascular modules (ABI, TBI) or pressure mapping for an even fuller picture.
The science backs this up. NEURO TOUCH has been validated to quantify tactile, vibration, thermal perception, and skin temperature—all in one portable device.
How Yostra’s Portable Solution Brings It All Together
Yostra didn’t just bundle these tests together. They reimagined how diabetic foot screening should work:
Compact multi-parameter design
All sensors—monofilament, vibration transducer, thermal modules, IR temperature—housed in one unit.
Seamless workflow
Move from one test to the next without swapping tools or recalibrating. No interruptions. No delays.
Digital capture and AI-driven reports
Every result is captured digitally, uploaded to the cloud, and compiled into automated reports. You can track trends over time and spot changes early.
Flexible options
Different versions available—including a “Lite” option with just monofilament and vibration for smaller clinics or tighter budgets.
True portability
Battery-operated, handheld, and ready to go anywhere—from your clinic to outreach camps in underserved areas.
One visit.
Complete workup.
Consolidated results.
That’s the promise.
Real Clinical Advantages
So, what does this mean in practice?
Efficiency and time savings
- No more juggling multiple devices
- Faster patient flow, especially in high-volume clinics
Standardization and reproducibility
- Uniform force, calibration, and recording eliminate operator variability
- Objective numeric thresholds reduce subjective guesswork
Holistic insight and better risk stratification
- Correlate large-fiber, small-fiber, and thermal data all in one dashboard
- More accurate risk categorization (low, moderate, high)
Monitoring and trend analysis
- Track changes across all parameters over months and years
- Catch deterioration early—before it becomes a crisis
Better patient experience
- Faster, smoother exams mean better comfort
- Visual reports help patients understand their risk and engage with their care
Outreach potential
- Take the device to camps, primary care settings, and rural clinics
- Screen patients who might never make it to a specialist
Improved outcomes
- Early detection enables timely intervention—education, offloading, proper footwear, tighter glycemic control
- Fewer ulcers. Fewer infections. Fewer amputations.
Given that neuropathy is present in about 80% of new foot ulcer cases, having a comprehensive screening tool isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.
Real-World Use Cases
Let’s look at some real-world uses of using this 5-in-1 technology.
Endocrinology/diabetic clinics
Annual foot risk assessments done in one visit—monofilament, vibration, hot/cold, temperature—all at once.
Podiatry/foot-care clinics
Use as a triage tool to flag high-risk patients who need vascular follow-up.
Mobile outreach/rural screening camps
Bring the device to remote areas and screen high-risk populations who lack access to specialists.
Follow-up monitoring
Compare data from previous visits. Spot decline in sensory or thermal parameters. Intervene before it’s too late.
Multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinics
Front-line screening before more advanced vascular or imaging tests.
From high-tier medical centers to remote field camps, this device adapts to wherever diabetic foot care is needed.
Challenges and Future Directions
However, no technology is perfect. And we want you to get the complete picture.
Here’s what we still need to work on:
Validation and clinical acceptance
- More real-world studies and multicenter validation are needed
- Head-to-head comparisons with gold-standard devices (ABI, nerve conduction studies)
Training and adoption
- Clinicians and technicians need proper training on protocols and interpretation. But once learnt, it’s very effective and easy to use.
- Some resistance in clinics used to traditional tools (you do not want to be left behind).
EMR integration
- Seamless data transfer into electronic medical records and hospital systems is crucial
Cost and ROI
- Upfront investment versus multiple legacy devices
- Demonstrating savings through prevented ulcers and amputations
Future expansions
- Adding vascular modules (ABI/TBI)
- Incorporating pressure and plantar load mapping
- Integration with telemedicine and AI-based ulcer risk prediction
The roadmap points toward a full “smart foot-care ecosystem” that combines diagnostics with interventions like thermal therapy and offloading feedback.
Take the Next Step
Diabetic foot complications don’t have to be inevitable.
When you catch early changes in nerve function, small-fiber integrity, and skin temperature, you can prevent ulcers before they form.
The fragmented approach to foot screening we’ve relied on for years just doesn’t cut it anymore.
We need better tools.
Smarter workflows.
Unified data.
Yostra’s 5-in-1 portable device delivers exactly that—a streamlined, standardized, holistic solution that works in any setting.
By adopting this technology, you can elevate your standard of care, improve patient outcomes, and ultimately reduce ulceration, infection, and amputation rates.
If you’re a podiatrist, endocrinologist, foot clinic manager, or health system leader, here’s what you should do next:
Reach out to Yostra for a demo or pilot trial of the device.
See it in action.
Experience how it transforms your workflow.
And bring the future of diabetic foot care into your hands. Today!!
Because every patient deserves the chance to keep their feet healthy.
And you deserve the tools to make that happen.
References
[1] Katherine McDermott, Michael Fang, Andrew J.M. Boulton, Elizabeth Selvin, Caitlin W. Hicks; Etiology, Epidemiology, and Disparities in the Burden of Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Diabetes Care 2 January 2023; 46 (1): 209–221. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci22-0043
[2] Kale DS, Karande GS, Datkhile KD. Diabetic Foot Ulcer in India: Aetiological Trends and Bacterial Diversity. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2023;27(2):107-114. doi:10.4103/ijem.ijem_458_22
