The DEKA hand: A multifunction prosthetic terminal device—patterns of grip usage at home

Background: Research is needed to understand how upper limb prosthesis users take advantage of multiple grip options. Objectives: To quantify usage of DEKA hand grip patterns during home use and compare patterns of usage at home to test sessions. Study design: Observational study design. Methods: Data were collected from 21 subjects. Engineering data on grip were downloaded at various intervals. Proportion of time in each grip was calculated for the first 4 weeks of home use, later months, and test sessions (testing use) and compared statistically across intervals. Exploratory analyses compared grip proportion by DEKA Arm level and prior prosthesis use. Results: Three most commonly used grips during home use were power, pinch open, and lateral pinch. There were no significant differences between grip use during the first month and later months. Power grip was used 55% of the time at home and 23% of the time in testing use. Pinch closed, lateral, and chuck grip were used less at home than in tests. Comparisons were by configuration level and prosthetic use and no significant differences were found. Conclusion: Patterns of DEKA hand grip usage differed between home and test environments, suggesting that users relied on fewer grip patterns at home. Clinical relevance These findings have implications for prosthetic training with multi-articulating terminal devices.