Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Biomedical Engineering
Session: 2
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Litzy Zelaya - Northeast Lake View Alamo College
Co-Author(s): David L. Kent, Robert Brothers M.S., David Berard B.S., R. Lyle Hood, Ph.D.1; 1University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Antonio, TX, USA
Airway management is often the top priority in immediate or battlefield care. Once the patient undergoes respiratory failure, endotracheal intubation can be used to mechanically ventilate patients by inserting the ET tube inside the trachea and maintain airflow. However, the current design faces a highly common mistake of misplacing the ET tube inside the esophagus instead of the trachea; leading to complications such as further damaging traumatized tissue or sometimes death. The proposed solution is implementing sensors to provide feedback on airway status and tube placement to improve the chances of a successful intervention and give combat medics useful data during chaotic battlefield conditions. Our design incorporates spectral reflectance and capnometry sensors to confirm endotracheal tube placement; the former via tissue discrimination by variable light absorption and the latter through measuring dynamic CO 2 levels.
To date, I have contributed through a variety of means, including initiating 3D-prints of prototypes via stereolithographic (SLA) printing on a Form 2 printer. In addition to gathering and storing data to organize project-related expenses and aiding in the visual progress of the research. Ongoing work includes finishing sensor harness fabrication and testing, sensor performance characterization, and sensor integration with the greater endotracheal tube prototype.
Future work includes testing of these integrated prototypes in manikin airway models, human
cadavers, and in vivo porcine models. This effort has phenomenal potential to enhance airway
management options for emergency medical personnel in both civilian and military austere
trauma scenarios.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): FundingprovidedbytheNationalScienceFoundationCIMALSAMPAwardNo.171262
Faculty Advisor: CIMA-LSAMP, tcross13@alamo.edu
Role: To date, I have contributed through a variety of means, including initiating 3D-prints of prototypes via stereolithographic (SLA) printing on a Form 2 printer. In addition to gathering and storing data to organize project-related expenses and aiding in the visual progress of the research. Ongoing work includes finishing sensor harness fabrication and testing, sensor performance characterization, and sensor integration with the greater endotracheal tube prototype.