  Pressure ulcers are recognized as a major health issue in individuals with
spinal cord injuries and new approaches to prevent this pathology are
necessary. An innovative health strategy is being developed through the use of
computer and sensory substitution via the tongue in order to compensate for the
sensory loss in the buttock area for individuals with paraplegia. This sensory
compensation will enable individuals with spinal cord injuries to be aware of a
localized excess of pressure at the skin/seat interface and, consequently, will
enable them to prevent the formation of pressure ulcers by relieving the
cutaneous area of suffering. This work reports an initial evaluation of this
approach and the feasibility of creating an adapted behavior, with a change in
pressure as a response to electro-stimulated information on the tongue.
Obtained during a clinical study in 10 healthy seated subjects, the first
results are encouraging, with 92% success in 100 performed tests. These
results, which have to be completed and validated in the paraplegic population,
may lead to a new approach to education in health to prevent the formation of
pressure ulcers within this population. Keywords: Spinal Cord Injuries,
Pressure Ulcer, Sensory Substitution, Health Education, Biomedical Informatics.
