Senior Design Projects 2009-10

At Michigan Tech, our mission is to graduate innovative, world-class engineers. Our Senior Design program connects students and industry through open-ended, industrial projects. Students gain the skills and experience that can launch them into successful careers, while industry partners gain access to tomorrow’s engineers—today.

Optimizing Evaluation Methods for
Biomimetic Catheter Coatings

Team Members
Ben Bouman, Ali Sheldon, Eli Vlaisavljevich,
and Kate Wold, Biomedical Engineering; Luke
Wohlfeil, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Rupak Rajachar, Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor
Greatbatch Medical
Project Overview
The purpose of our project is to create a set of experiments to determine the efficacy of biomimetic coatings developed to prevent catheter-related infections. A set of static and dynamic experiments was designed to test the ability of the biomimetic coatings to prevent bacterial adhesion under physiologically relevant conditions. Our final results will provide an analysis of current Greatbatch Medical catheter coatings; a set of protocols to be used to test future catheter designs; and a novel dynamic flow system to provide a more physiologically relevant analysis.

Biodegradable Stent Simulation

Team Members
Jake Edick and Nikki Long, Materials Science
and Engineering; Donisha Das, Justine Farina,
Dan Pierson, and Jonathon Zuidema, Biomedical
Engineering
Advisors
Dr. Jarek Drelich, Materials Science and
Engineering, and Dr. Jeremy Goldman, Biomedical
Engineering
Sponsor
Boston Scientific Corporation
Project Overview
Our goal is to develop a test method that will accurately simulate the degradation of metal alloys in a biological system.

Hand Washing Detector

Team Members
Beth Geerer, David Heiden, Jenna Joestgen, Liz
Pietela, and Sam Wojda, Biomedical Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Seth Donahue
Sponsor
Portage Health
Project Overview
The goal is to design a simple instrument that can detect and record how many times a clinician washes his or her hands (either with hand sanitizer or soap and water) throughout the day. The device should be accurate, have a relatively low cost, and be easily implemented into the health-care setting. Easy implementation includes compatibility with the current information systems and ID badges used in the hospital, ability to attach to current soap and hand sanitizer dispensers, applicability to a variety of rooms in the hospital, and something that doesn’t alter CDC hand-washing protocol. The device must also be HIPAA compliant, should not reveal personal employee information, and should not be used to track employee location.

Capillary Refill Time
Measurement Device

Team Members
Danielle Aerts, Jon Congdon, Katie Elicerio,
Matt Johnson, and Justine Wiles, Biomedical
Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Michael Neuman
Sponsor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Project Overview
The time it takes to refill a capillary bed after the blood has been depleted is a useful way to measure the dehydration status of a patient. The goal of our project is to design an instrument to measure this time by applying a pressure, releasing it, measuring the rate of blood return, and outputting the information into a graph. Our client, Dr. Robert Danish of the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, would like to use this device to more accurately assess the level of dehydration in his pediatric diabetic patients.

Wireless Cardiopulmonary Monitor

Team Members
Anthony Sonck, Brock Horton, and Andrew
Korcal, Biomedical Engineering; Jason Green
and Ryan Raymond, Electrical Engineering; Jeff
Floyd, Computer Engineering; Andrew DeRouin,
Biomedical Engineering/Electrical Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Keat Ong, Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor
3M
Project Overview
The goal is to develop a wireless respiratory and heart rate monitor that can upload the information in real time to a cloud network via the Internet. The information could then be received by a physician, regardless of distance.

Absorbing Pad Moisture Indicator

Team Members
Travis Ommodt, Keara Scott, Lindsey Spaude,
Stephen Stafford, and Damon Tolhurst, Biomedical
Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Megan Frost
Sponsor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Project Overview
Incontinence is a common problem for the elderly. Adult diapers or moisture absorbing pads are currently used to collect bodily fluids. If such pads are not changed frequently, painful decubitus ulcers and other medical issues could occur. We have developed a sensor to detect the presence of urine and discretely alert medical staff to the patient’s condition. The sensor will eliminate the need to repeatedly check on patients for urine activity, saving time and money for care facilities. Most importantly, patients will no longer experience the uncomfor

Compression Device for
Lymphedema Therapy

Team Members
John Albin, Jared Cregg, Stephanie Lindstrom, and
Stuart Mitkey, Biomedical Engineering
Advisors
Dr. Ryan Gilbert and Dr. Jeremy Goldman
Sponsor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Project Overview
Surgical resection and radiation therapy are the current clinical modes of targeting cancerous breast tumors. Primary trauma and secondary events (i.e. chronic inflammation) resulting from the targeting therapy lead to disruption of the lymphatic system. Fluid accumulates in subcutaneous tissue, and patients suffer a range of associated impairments, including diminished function of joints, increased extremity weight, pain, and a deficient healing capacity. One approach to the resolution of edema is the use of a pneumatic pump that pushes excess lymphatic fluid towards functional lymphatics; however, these types of therapies are poorly understood. Here, we have developed a cyclic pressure cuff scaled to murine anatomy in order to study interstitial flow mechanisms—with the idea that this understanding will lead to better therapeutic regimens.