18. Bioreactor for tissue engineering (bioreactor)

Development of a bioreactor that will allow study of fibroblast and cell response to mechanical and vibratory forces. This bioreactor will need to allow cell culture of the cells while undergoing controlled vibratory and stress paradigms.

Titze IR, Broadhead K, Tresco P, Gray S. J Biomech. 2004 Oct; 37(10):1521-9. Design and validation of a bioreactor for engineering vocal fold tissues under combined tensile and vibrational stresses.

Contact person:

Dr. Susan Thibeault
Dept. of Otolaryngology
UW Medical School
Phone: 263-6751
email: thibeault@surgery.wisc.edu

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19. Medical prosthetics (prosthetics)

A. Blinking orbital prosthesis: When a patient has an orbital exenteration the large cavity is restored with an acrylic eye surrounded by a detailed but static silicone rubber restoration of the soft tissues(lids, etc). The PMMA eye is incorporated into the silicone part and the patient just places the entire unit in each day. It is retained with adhesive, osseointegrated percutaneous fixtures or by gentle anatomical fit. There seems to be adequate volume in a well lined cavity to house the needed mechanism for animation. I know I can impart life-like quality to a variety of materials even in sections that are required to be very thin to save weight/space. An Austrian team presented an attempt on such a case when I was in England over the summer, and a few others have been published over the years. This and previous attempts(very few) have used a wire running from the contralateral eye muscle discretely into the orbital prosthesis so the eye blinks in synch with the contralateral impulse. My thought was that a motion sensor might be housed in glasses to detect a blink, but this is not my area. I would like to fabricate a patient simulator model with prosthesis that blinks, and would like to see a mechanism developed. Synchronization in situ could be considered later.
 
B. Retracting or hinging ear prosthesis: Many children with microtia face a tough childhood with a prosthetic ear that is glued on or attached to osseointegrated implants. I have an article on the subject( J Oral Maxillofac Surg 64: 1639-1654, 2006). The later is preferred for predictability, ease of use, etc, but the ear can be bumped off due to failure of the limited clip or magnet type attachments. The major dental implant companies from which the extraoral fixtures originate feature an interchangeable terminal keeper so the clinician can select from different magnet sizes/orientations as needed. However, the retention is still very poor. I am creating pull testers for one attachment company, but even the stronger attachment they are working toward misses the point in my view. I envision a hinge or spring attachment that allows abrupt displacement, but immediate return of the prosthesis. A passive lock design would lessen abrasive wear of donning/doffing prosthesis and give the wearer needed confidence. Again, I have the experience with low durometer silicones, molding, etc, and ideas on how to incorporate hinges or constant force springs. We also have patient simulator models with current magnet systems for students as reference.
 
C. Reproduceable prosthetic skins: Artists still offer the best results as clinicians restoring the face with silicone rubber prostheses, but we are stuck using an old world process. For 25 years I have rendered facial skin in silicone from the primary colors. However, the art/tech roots of prosthetics limit potential offered by more sophisticated polymer processing/manufacturing processes. Compression molded Pt cure LSRs lack edge strength and color stability. A generic limited series of skins in high consistency silicone or perhaps more UV stable PU or other material could accomplish 95% of needed naturalism of translucency, vascularity and pigmentation if superimposing of individually selected preprinted thin polymeric films could be accomplished. I can match the look of an individual's skin by laying down about 3 layers of pigment over a base skin tone. The hues of the vascular and pigment layers are the same, its just the density and array that vary. It would seem with digital and printing technology this process could rather easily be quantified to offer reproduceable formulae that accomplish 90-95% of the needed result. The clinician could then offer a product with higher physical properties, lower durometer, more resistant to surface wear and more easy and predictable replacement. Such synthetic skin technology is badly needed in finger/hand/limb prosthetics. The toy and personal accessory industry could help drive this work.
 
D. Implant-retained finger prostheses: These are done at centers in Europe, UK and Australia, but are not FDA approved in the US for commercial use. I understand they can be provided under certain circumstances. I have experience with finger prosthetics and implant-retained facial prosthetics, but not implant-retained finger prosthetics. Perhaps your department could be involved and help me identify an interested hand surgeon to explore potential in this neglected area of hand rehabilitation.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Greg Gion
Medical Art Prosthetics, LLC
7818 Big Sky Drive, Suite 111
Madison, Wisconsin 53719
Phone: 833-7002
email: g.g.gion@sbcglobal.net

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20. Hand hygiene and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) (hand_washing)

Health care-associated infections remain a major cause of morbidity, mortality and cost despite concerted efforts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and infection control professionals for nearly a half-century. Hand hygiene is the single most important infection control intervention. Unfortunately, even with the introduction of liquid alcohol-based products, healthcare providers' appropriate hand hygiene still only approaches 60% (range 15-60%) compliance at best. With the addition of the electronic medical record (EMR) and CPOE, healthcare providers will be switching from computer keyboard use to patient care activities and so forth multiple times during a patient encounter. This requires a hand hygiene intervention each time the provider moves from the patient to the technology, technology to the patient etc. If the provider were to achieve 100% compliance, he/she would spend the entire shift performing handwashing/alcohol gel applications. To achieve hand hygiene compliance and accomplish CPOE, a novel approach to hand decontamination needs to occur. In the tradition of a systems/HFE approach to this problem, the human/machine interaction should incorporate the hand hygiene task. Can a computer keyboard, or other piece of EMR-CPOE technology be designed to decontaminate the hands of the healthcare worker? Perhaps it would actually use an antimicrobial such as alcohol or incorporate some sort of "forcing function" or as the British HF say "built in affordance" requiring the provider to perform hand hygiene. Strategies for promotion of the experimental intervention in healthcare facilities should include reasons for noncompliance (i.e. lack of time, lack of product, lack of knowledge) with recommendations at individual, group, and institutional levels.

References:
IHI.ORG (Institute for Healthcare Improvement)
http://www.ihi.org/ihi/search/searchresults.aspx?searchterm=hand+hygiene&searchtype=basic

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Carla J. Alvarado, Ph.D.
Center for Quality Productivity Improvement
575 WARF Office Building
610 Walnut Street
Phone: 263-2678
email: calvarado@cqpi.engr.wisc.edu

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21. Design of a computer input device for an individual with muscular dystrophy (computer_input_device)

Mr. XY is a 54 year old man with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a disease which causes progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Mr. XY's muscular dystrophy has advanced to the point where he is unable to get out of bed and has an extremely limited ability to move. Mr. XY's connection to the outside world is through this computer, which he uses for several hours each day for email, chatting, word processing, and games. Because he has very limited use of his hands, he cannot use a keyboard or standard mouse. His attendants have modified a trackball mouse so he can move a computer cursor to make selections and use an onscreen keyboard for text entry. His hands have to be carefully positioned and propped up using towels. A pencil is then placed between the thumb and index finger of his right hand so he can move the trackball with the pencil eraser. The height of the buttons was adjusted so they are in a comfortable position for his left thumb and index finger to press them. Although Mr. XY is able to use the computer using this method, getting him setup to use the mouse is a tedious process that frequently takes the attendants 30+ minutes and requires frequent adjustments thereafter. In addition, his fingers are very sensitive so it is painful if the mouse is bumped or is placed in the incorrect position. Students who take on this project will come up with a better solution for Mr. XY to use the computer. The two main challenges are to create a computer interface that will be quick and easy to setup by his attendants and will be easy and comfortable for Mr. XY to use for several hours per day. Mr. XY lives near the intersection of Regent and Park streets and prefers visitors to come after 3pm.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact persons:

Mary Sesto, Ph.D.
4176 Medical Sciences Center
Phone: 263-5697
email: msesto@wisc.edu

Elizabeth Felton, Ph.D.
Clinical Science Center
Phone: 213-8668
email: felton@cae.wisc.edu

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22. Umbilical cord model for umbilical vein catheterization training (umbilical)

The American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) is required training for thousands of physicians and medical staff who attend the delivery of newborns. Placement of an intravenous catheter in the umbilical vein of the cord stump in a distressed newborn is one way to provide life saving medication and is a skill that is essential to the NRP course. Hands-on training in the placement of an umbilical venous catheter has received increased attention and emphasis since the 2005 update of the NRP course. Currently, two models for hands-on training are available. Some companies make newborn models for CPR that also have artificial umbilical cords (ex Laerdol). These models appear to inadequately mimic placement in a real cord and are very expensive. Alternatively, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using sections of an umbilical cord obtained after delivery. The cord section is placed in a glass baby bottle with part of the nipple cut off so the cord extends about 1/2 an inch from the top of the nipple. While this model has the advantage of using a real cord, the cord is secured poorly and thus does not adequately mimic placement in a newborn. The goal of this project would be to create an inexpensive and disposable model that would be a vast improvement over the "baby bottle" model for teaching and could be patented and marketed to the over 25,000 individuals in the US who teach NRP.

During the first semester of this project, the umbilical team designed two working models, the "cord-in-gel" and "sphygmomanometer." Both models had good tensile test assessments and limited but promising side-by-side comparisons of catheterization success. Additional design work is needed for both models before consideration of patent and production. The superior model needs to be identified, and the materials and construction process need to be refined for bulk manufacturing. The mold for the cord-in-gel model needs additional design work with alterations to mimic the course of the umbilical vein in the body and modifications to ensure correct placement of the cord in the gel and exit of the cord end to a reservoir. The "sphygmomanometer" model was created from a blood pressure cuff and purchased materials. This model needs to be designed from appropriate materials with a built in "cuff." The design for the support system for both models will need to be altered accordingly. In addition, part of the design goals will include work with human cords to determine if cord orientation, storage (ex. freezing), or fixation affect the model. Ultimately, we will have physicians test the models side by side to gather data for the possible patenting of this product through WARF, including success of catheterization, biosafety, and infection control data. I request that the members of the original design team be considered for this continuing project.

References:
1. Umbilical cord model
2. Umbilical Catheters: Risk ; Pediatr. Rev. 1983; 4:278-302.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Dr. Julie Kessel
Dept. of Pediatrics
Phone: 417-6236
email: jmkessel@pediatrics.wisc.edu

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23. Measuring hot flash occurrence using skin color (skin_color_monitor)

Menopausal women have hot flashes, which cause discomfort, sleep disturbance, and work interruption. Therapeutic drug testing requires objective measurement of hot flashes. Develop a miniature skin color sensor to record hot flashes.

Materials:
Light-emitting diodes of different colors. Electronic parts.

References:
1. The text "Bioinstrumentation" section 9.13.2 describes 2 instruments but they are not miniature and do not record.
2. Konica Chroma-Meter
3. CK Electronic skin testing equipment

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

John Webster, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2148 Engineering Centers Building
Phone: 263-1574
email: webster@engr.wisc.edu

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24. Measuring caloric input using chewing sounds (chewing_sounds)

Obesity is epidemic in the USA and causes many health problems. A measurement of caloric input of free ranging subjects is useful in studying this problem. Select a miniature microphone that will fit in the ear canal. Devise a method of recording chewing sounds in a miniature recorder, downloading the data and displaying them.

References:
1. Amft, Oliver, Mathias Stäger, Paul Lukowicz, Gerhard Tröster, (2005) Analysis of chewing sounds for dietary monitoring, Proc. Ubiquitous Computing: 7th International Conference, UbiComp 2005, Tokyo, Japan, September 11-14, 2005.
2. Dacremont. C. ( 1995). Spectral composition of eating sounds generated by crispy, crunchy, and crackly foods. J. Texture Stud. 26, 27-43.
3. De Belie, N.; Sivertsvik, M.; De Baerdemaeker, J. (2003) Differences in chewing sounds of dry-crisp snacks by multivariate data analysis. J. Sound Vib. (UK), 266, 3, 625-643.
4. Vickers Z. M. (1985) The relationships of pitch, loudness and chewing technique to judgments of the crispness and crunchiness of food sounds. J. Texture Stud. vol. 16, no1, pp. 85-95.
5. Zaknich, A.; Baker, S.K. (1998) A real-time system for the classification of sheep feeding phases from acoustic signals of jaw sounds. Aust. J. Intell. Inf. Process. Syst. (Australia), 5, 2, 103-110.

Contact person:

John Webster, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2148 Engineering Centers Building
Phone: 263-1574
email: webster@engr.wisc.edu

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25. Measuring caloric consumption by body movement (body_movement)

Obesity is epidemic in the USA. Obesity causes many health problems. To reduce obesity it is useful to measure body movement of free ranging subjects. Select a miniature self-generating accelerometer and method of attaching it to the body. Select an amplifier for minimum power consumption. Select a method of recording body accelerations, downloading the recordings and displaying them.

References:
1. NIH Grant Guidelines
2. Burke MJ, Gleeson DT, A micropower dry-electrode ECG preamplifier, IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 47:155-162, 2000.

Contact person:

John Webster, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2148 Engineering Centers Building
Phone: 263-1574
email: webster@engr.wisc.edu

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26. Measuring ventilation from a chest strap (ventilation_monitor)

When firefighters enter a smoke-filled building, the command center wants to know if they are breathing so they can decide to send in a rescue team. We need to measure ventilation from a miniature device on an expandable chest strap and wirelessly transmit to the command center outside.

Materials:
Spandex, electronics, wire

References:
1. VivoMetrics VivoResponder
2. The text Bioinstrumentation page 309 describes inductance plethysmography.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

John Webster, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2148 Engineering Centers Building
Phone: 263-1574
email: webster@engr.wisc.edu

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27. Digital Braille watch (braille_watch)

This watch would tell the time as the minutes change. Each minute the number would change as a digital watch does. This watch would have enough room for 5 cells* (four cells for the hour and minutes and one cell for the dividing colon). This watch tells time using military time, thus you would not need the AM and PM. The braille dots would rise so that the wearer of this watch could slide their finger across the face from left to right in order to read the current time using the Braille system. The face of this watch would be approximately 1 1/4" long and 1/2" to 3/4" wide (enough room to fit the accurate number of cells). This watch would be worn with a removable flip cover, in order to protect it from the weather. This watch may be powered by a rechargeable battery from either a solar or electric charge. Additional items that may be added could be date, seconds, and vibrate/ alarm or power save modes, thus possibly needing additional cells.

*Each cell holds 6 dots that represent 1 number, letter or punctuation (Braille system). Please note that I am submitting this for my legally blind son that came up with this idea. He thought of it as his only option for a watch was one that spoke out loud and disrupted his school classroom. We have additional information, pictures and a patent pending for this idea. Please help us to make this a reality for blind, visually impaired and perhaps government uses. Please note the web site below regarding the "Humanware Braille Note".

References:
Humanware Braille Note

Budget available: Adequate

Contact persons:

Holly and Colton Albrecht
Phone: 239-2083
email: albrechth@firstweber.com

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28. Development of optimal design for cooling patients in flight (hypothermia)

Therapeutic induced hypothermia is used to prevent secondary brain injury after anoxic brain injury. Cooling is initiated by UW Medflight crew by administering ice cold saline IV in air transport. However, heat index in summer causes significant thermal energy loss of fluid, resulting in suboptimal cooling. We are interested in 1) determining the optimal way to keep saline at 4-degree C during infusion and 2) developing optimal cooling strategy in flight (e.g., evaporative/cooling blankets/ice bath). The interventions/equipment must be weight/space sensitive and must not produce large amounts of water runoff in aircraft.
Involved students would work directly with myself, lead pilots, and air medical crews.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Darren Bean, MD
UW Emergency Medicine/Med Flight Director
UW Level 1 Heart Attack Program
Medical Director, Madison Fire Department
email: dbb@medicine.wisc.edu

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29. Device to assist in removal of pills from bubble wrapped packaging (pill_removal)

Patient safety issues have resulted in packaging of pills that is increasingly difficult to access. We are unaware of any device that could enable older patients and others with hand weakness or deformities to easily remove individual pills from bubble wrap packaging. The goal is to design a device to make this process easier.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Molly Carnes, MD, MS; Professor
Departments of Medicine and Industrial & Systems Engineering
Phone: 263-9770
email: mlcarnes@wisc.edu

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30. Leg positioner to facilitate placement of central venous catheters in the ICU (leg_positioner)

Currently there are more than 5 million central venous catheters placed by physicians each year in the US alone, many of which utilize the femoral vein as the access site. Achieving and maintaining the optimal patient positioning can be difficult, and may require an extra person for successful placement. A device to properly position the lower extremity of critically ill patients during femoral vein central venous catheter insertion will have immediate and profound clinical utility.

Articles:
1. Central venous catheter placement
2. McGee, D.C. and M.K. Gould, Preventing complications of central venous catheterization. N Engl J Med, 2003. 348 (12): pp. 1123-33.
3. Femoral vein

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Jonathan Jaffery, MD
Dept. of Medicine
Phone: 270-5671
email: jbj@medicine.wisc.edu

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31. Motorized wheelchair mounting system (wheelchair_mount)

Design a motorized wheelchair mounting system for a Speech Generating Device, which helps this young adult talk. He drives an electric wheelchair. But with the device mounted on his chair so he can access it with his left index finger and or his wheelchair joystick, he cannot see to drive the wheelchair. We are interested to find out if a standard wheelchair mounting system could be adapted to move his Vanguard up for his use/to talk and then drop down just above his left knee, so he can drive.

Reference:
Mounting systems are from DaeSSy, where most of the different types come from.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Andrea E. Johnson, CASC OTR/IT
Waisman Center
Phone: 263-7723
email: aejohnso@wisc.edu

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32. Perfusion chamber with a removable holder for flexible and porous membranes (perfusion_chamber)

The aim of this project is to design a membrane holder for a perfusion chamber. The chamber will be used to test the effects of various drugs on the movement of fluid across a cell layer under pressure so that we can screen for potential therapies to treat glaucoma. The perfusion chamber is modeled on a pre-existing Ussingger holder that is currently used to measure pressure effects on human eye cells in culture. A prototype of the holder and perfusion chamber is currently available. Our immediate goal is to develop a membrane holder for this perfusion chamber. The membrane in the holder is flexible in order to stimulate tissue flexibility. Initially we will start with silicon membranes, but eventually we want the holder to hold porous hydrogels so that fluid can pass through. The holder must be reusable, easy to manipulate in and out of tissue culture tissues and able to be placed in physiological buffers for several weeks.

References:
1. Johnson and Tschumper (1987) Invest. Ophthal. Vis Sci. 28:945-953.
2. Perkins et al., (1988) Invest. Ophthal. Vis Sci. 29:1836-1846.
3. Stamer et al., (1999) Invest. Ophthal. Vis Sci. 40:1983-1988.
4. Bradley et al., (2001) Invest. Ophthal. Vis Sci. 42:1505-1513.

Budget available: Adequate

Equipment: Silicon membranes, perfusion chamber, pumps, transducers, software and computer.

Contact person:

Dr. Donna Peters
Dept. of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Phone: 262-4626
email: dmpeter2@wisc.edu

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33. Endotracheal tube securing device (endotracheal_device)

This will be the first stage of development of a disposable device to secure endotracheal tubes after insertion in patients in ORs and ERs and for ambulance workers. Although devices such as this have been marketed, none has been found to be superior to tape alone.

Reference:
Circulation Vol 112 No 24 Dec 13, 2005 Supplement page IV-55

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Lester T. Proctor, MD
Dept. of Anesthesiology
Phone: 263-8100
email: ltproctor@wisc.edu

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34. Stereotactic device compatible with a 4.7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging system (stereotactic_device)

This project requires the design and fabrication of a stereotactic device used to minimize the movement of the heads of anesthetized animals whilst positioned within a 4.7 T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanner.* The magnetic field within the scanner is approximately 100,000 times greater than the Earth's magnetic field and therefore significantly restricts the choice of materials that may be used. Consequently, the entire system should be constructed of MR-compatible materials that are non-magnetic and non-conductive, to avoid artifacts and distortion of the MR images. The device should fit into a range of MR coils used specifically for imaging mice or rats and should also be able to support the positioning of additional MR coils so that images may be obtained from different anatomical regions. Further refinements might include the incorporation of a warming unit, using circulating water or air, within the base of the device. The unit construction may involve the use of 3D printing techniques. In addition, the stereotactic device should also be compatible with a dedicated uCT/PET system so that images may be more easily merged between the three different imaging modalities. In addition to the design and fabrication processes, this project would provide the opportunity to gain some experience with the use of both a 4.7 Tesla dedicated animal MRI and a uCT/PET systems.

Reference:
Overview of magnetic resonance imaging

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Ian J Rowland PhD
Dept. of Radiology
Phone: 262-0967
email: irowland@wisc.edu

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35. External scaffolding for rapid use of AV fistulas in dialysis patients (fistula_scaffold)

Patients who require hemodialysis often require the placement of an arterio-venous (AV) fistula, which is a surgical connection between an artery and a vein, typically in the arm. Once mature, this fistula serves as an access point for the large hemodialysis needles. However, maturation can take 1-3 months.  We believe that external scaffolding to prevent fistula collapse during dialysis will enable more rapid use of AV fistulas in dialysis patients. We seek the design of an external scaffolding of appropriate biomaterials and hope to pursue testing in a pig model.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Jonathan Jaffery, MD
Dept. of Medicine
Phone: 270-5673
email: jbj@medicine.wisc.edu

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36. Instrumented hand exerciser to promote AV fistula maturation in dialysis patients (hand_exerciser)

Patients who require hemodialysis often require the placement of an arterio-venous (AV) fistula, which is a surgical connection between an artery and a vein, typically in the arm. Once mature, this fistula serves as an access point for the large hemodialysis needles. Maturation of the fistula can be enhanced by hand exercises which increase blood flow to the arm. However, currently, physicians have no way to monitor whether patients are following instructions with regard to exercise, what sort of effort they're putting forth, etc. An instrumented hand exerciser would be a valuable research tool and, once guidelines for optimal exercise patterns for fistula maturation are developed, important clinical tool.

References:
1. Hand exercise article
2. Oder, Teodorescu, Uribarri.  Effect of Exercise on the Diameter of Arteriovenous Fistulae in Hemodialysis Patients.  ASAIO Journal. 49(5):554-555, September/October 2003.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Alexander Yevzlin, MD
Dept. of Medicine
Phone: 658-9657
email: asy@medicine.wisc.edu

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37. Engineering World Health (EWH) Projects

Choose any project except Pressure Meter Gas or Aspirator from the EWH project list.

These tools have been requested by personnel working with Engineering World Health in developing world hospitals. These project specifications are intended to be used as guidelines. You should design your device to deliver the maximum possible performance while still staying within the cost specification. Some deviation from the cost specification may be tolerable if the benefits in performance are large. Where superior performance specifications are given, they need not be followed to be an acceptable design. In the following paragraphs, all costs are for parts only (no labor costs) and include all the costs of production, even costs that you may not encounter in the prototype, like the box or printed circuit boards. You can assume that the parts are purchased in the developing world or the US.

Individuals, groups of students, senior design teams, BMES or IEEE chapters or just a bunch of friends can submit designs. Designs are generally accepted in December or January, but can be submitted at any time. If your design meets the design criteria, you will receive up to $150 to build a prototype. If your prototype works, it may be selected to be produced. If you wish, in the summer following the production of your design, you, or your team, can travel to the developing world to distribute the product by participating in the EWH summer program. See: http://www.ewh.org/projectsthatmatter.html

Contact person:

John Webster, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
2148 Engineering Centers Building
Phone: 263-1574
email: webster@engr.wisc.edu

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38. Permanently implantable inductive ICP monitor (ICP_monitor)

The design should involve the efficient transmission of inductive electromagnetic energy across a 1.5-cm gap to power electronics that support a Wheatstone bridge based transducer. The resulting signal should be transmitted to an antenna within the electromagnetic power supply and then be interpreted externally.

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Joshua Medow, M.D.
Dept. of Neurosurgery
UW Medical School
Phone: 265-5967
email: medow@neurosurg.wisc.edu

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39. Hand held device to detect rupture of silicone implants (silicone_rupture)

Silicone implants for breast reconstruction and augmentation was approved by the FDA in November 2007. One of the biggest challenges that he FDA faced was deciding what modality was best to determine implant rupture. Any rupture in patients necessitates immediate removal of the implant. Eventually, the FDA mandated MRI scans for patients every three years. Unfortunately, this is not covered by insurance and thus patients are unlikely to spend $2,500 as an out of pocket expense. Another option would be to design a low-cost device which detects a rupture of silicone breast implant. The implant is a soft silicone shell filled with cohesive silicone gel. The shell and the inner gel each have slightly different electrical charge on their surface. This charge potential difference can be exploited by designing a small unit which is capable of detecting this difference which deciphers an intact implant shell versus silicone gel leakage. The device must be able to detect the charge difference through human tissue.

References:
1. FDA site on breast implants
2. Article on measurement of electrical charges1
3. Mentor Corp. breast implants
4. Rupture of breast implants1
5. Rupture of breast implants2
6. Article on measurement of electrical charges2

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Raj S. Ambay, MD, DDS
Dept. of Plastic Surgery
UW Medical School
Phone: 334-2704
email: ambay@surgery.wisc.edu

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40. DSP application in medical instrumentation (TI_project)

The semiconductor company, Texas Instruments (TI), has a medical division that is interested in exploring new medical applications for their digital signal processing (DSP) chips. They have recently agreed to grant to the BME Department all resources necessary to develop new applications including hardware and software development tools. This project is an opportunity to learn about an important instrumentation technology and to use it to implement a solution to a biomedical problem. Since the team would interface to one or more TI engineers, it may also lead to an opportunity for internships or coops. Although the exact project has not yet been identified, we expect that the team will interface with BME faculty to find a meaningful medical instrumentation or medical imaging design problem. Because of the learning curve necessary to learn how to efficiently use these design tools, we expect that this will be a multi-semester project.

See: TI Digital Signal Processing

Budget available: Adequate

Contact person:

Willis Tompkins
BME Department
Phone: 263-1581
email: tompkins@engr.wisc.edu

Thomas Yen
BME Department
Phone: 263-6803
email: yen@engr.wisc.edu

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