Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

Simulating Pacemakers And Heartbeat Recovery Through Mathematical Modeling, Thomas Estrada, Jayla Edwards

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Title: Simulating Pacemakers and Heartbeat Recovery Through Mathematical Modeling   This study utilizes the Fitzhugh-Nagumo model to simulate cardiac electrical activity and the regulatory role of pacemakers through ordinary differential equations (ODEs). By defining the rate of change for membrane voltage, 𝑑𝑣/dt, and a recovery variable, 𝑑𝑤/dt, the model captures the heart's excitability and resting states. Central to the analysis is the stimulus current parameter, which represents the "kick" provided by a pacemaker to correct flatline conditions or weak heartbeats. Using Euler’s method for numerical integration, the research compares unstable cardiac rhythms against corrected periodic oscillations. Additionally, the project implements vector …

Transcranial Ac Modulation Of Cerebellar Nuclear Activity In Awake Animals, Nuran Kavakli

Dissertations

Entrainment of cerebellar nuclear (CN) cells via cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation (ctACS) has been reported in animals under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. Our main objective was to demonstrate modulation of CN activity in unanesthetized, freely moving animals using ctACS. Multi-channel carbon-fiber electrodes were implanted into the interpositus nucleus for recording multi-unit (MU) activity, and thin-film electrodes were implanted subcutaneously over the posterior cerebellum for stimulation. A frequency-domain-based metric was developed to quantify modulation from MU signals. The results demonstrated modulation in a wide range of frequencies (4 Hz-300 Hz) as in anesthetized animals. In contrast, the amplitude of the peak in …

Modeling Structural Support To Facilitate Novel Treatments Of Degenerative Disc Disease, Jose Luis Calderon

Poster Presentations

Over 600 million people worldwide suffered from low back pain in 2020, with projections for 2050 being over 800 million [1]. Annual costs associated with low back pain total over 450 billion dollars in the US alone [2]. This research serves as a proof-of-concept for the use of structural supports to facilitate intervertebral disc healing. This treatment would involve the implementation of these supports along with existing injection treatments to promote regeneration. In both models, along with the combined model, the ability for these supports to alleviate intervertebral disc height loss is shown. This indicates that these supports would serve …

Orthopedic Bone Drill, Logan G. Schmid, Matthew T. Wold, May Geng

Biomedical Engineering

This project aims to design a bone drill for orthopedic procedures which alleviates the heat generated in the bone during drilling.

A Chicken Model For Non-Invasive Diagnosis Of Infant Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip (Ddh) Using Acoustic Transmission Measurements, Aliza Shah

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a condition characterized by abnormal development and stability of the hip joint. In a healthy infant, the femoral head (ball) fits securely within the acetabulum (socket of the pelvis), allowing for proper joint function. In DDH, the relationship is disrupted, ranging from mild acetabular dysplasia to partial (subluxation) or complete dislocation of the femoral head. This condition represents a range of structural abnormalities that develop during early growth. The integrity of the hip joint is essential for physical mobility, and disruption of this structure can lead to significant functional impairment. DDH may result …

Development Of A Non-Faradaic Impedimetric Biosensor Based On Reduced Graphene Oxide For The Detection Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf), Mariana N. Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders affect millions of people worldwide. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the rising number of cases significantly increases global healthcare costs. Therefore, early detection of biomarkers at the onset of the disease is essential for early diagnosis. This study presents an electrochemical biosensor designed for the detection of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in human plasma, incorporating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to enhance signal sensitivity. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) was employed to deposit rGO flakes on the electrode surface, improving conductivity and sensor performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to monitor changes in impedance associated with BDNF binding events, …

Vibration-Based Detection For The Monitoring Of Neonatal Bcpap Respiratory Support To Minimize Duration Of Disconnections, Kaitlyn G. Calabresi, Meera R. Bhat, Lavinia L. Kong, Eli J. Foster, Jonathan Wang, Sangeeta Koilada, Angela Mak, Aastha Kapadia, Niam Mohseni, W. Keith Leung, Suneetha Desiraju, Constanza Miranda

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a minimally invasive respiratory support for neonates experiencing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). It exerts continuous, oscillatory air pressure to encourage lung function and development. Neonates’ movement may cause disconnections at the nasal interface. These disconnections are characterized by the cessation of bubbling at the bCPAP respiratory circuit output and frequently go unnoticed until hypoxia develops. Common Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) bCPAP systems lack a built-in alarm or accessory device to monitor for disconnections. As a result, nursing personnel must exercise extreme caution utilizing current bCPAP procedure. If a neonate is disconnected, it …

Development Of A Light-Based Platform To Assess Cervical Mucus Barrier Function And Physical Mucus Properties, Elizabeth J. Buzbee

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet current clinical tools for predicting its risk lack specificity and reliability. Cervical mucus plays a crucial role in maintaining pregnancy by forming a barrier that protects the uterus against infection. This study investigates the use of laser speckle rheology as a noninvasive technique to assess cervical mucus biomechanics. Synthetic cervical mucus was fabricated at varying hydration levels and tested using a conventional rheometer that confirmed that the mechanical properties of the synthetic mucus samples were representative of physiological cervical mucus. These results were compared to the complex …

Limbgod(Pat. Pending): Wearable Garment For Amputation Prevention, Naomi Choi Dpm, Mba, Phuc An Dinh Bs, Ms, Eric Lee Bs, Francois M. Lokenye Dpm

Posters

Approximately 1.6 million people in the U.S. have lower limb amputations, which is expected to double by 2050 (Wong et al.). Socio-economic factors: income, education, rural residency & race, impact amputation risk (Okesina et al.), with Black Americans 70% are more likely to undergo major lower limb amputations than white Americans, even after adjusting for care access & comorbidities (Feinglass et al., Holman et al., Regenbogen et al.). Within 5 years, up to 50% of first-time amputees require another amputation (Dilingham et al., Glaser et al.) & those with comorbidities face a 77% five-year mortality rate (Fortington et al.).

Investigation Using Single Point Incremental Forming (Spif) To Fabricate Patient-Specific, Titanium Orbital Floor Implants, Elizabeth M. Mamros, Lauren E. Blaha Md, Christian A. Kauffman Md

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

The floor of the human orbit is composed of thin bone that is prone to traumatic fracture. This leads to a loss of support for the eye, which can cause vision changes. Therefore, fractures may need surgical reconstruction using a thin, sheet-like implant. Titanium implants are available off-the-shelf in standard sizes, but fitting to each patient’s unique anatomy requires surgeons to cut, file, and bend these plates. This can be time-consuming and imprecise. To both save time and ensure a perfect fit for the patient, a custom plate can be created prior to surgery. This investigation focuses on single-point incremental …

Applications Of Computer Vision In Biomechanics And Orthopaedics, William Stewart Burton Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning has emerged as a key technology for enabling advanced computer vision systems. These systems now permeate many industries, and have enhanced traditional processes through autonomous interpretation of visual data. In the field of orthopaedics, the increasing prevalence of imaging highlights a need for similar tools. In many cases, however, direct translation of available frameworks fails to resolve the complex problems currently facing this field. Stringent performance requirements, complex visual environments, data scarcity, and implications for patient safety represent domain-specific factors which pose unique challenges to proven techniques. Novel approaches are needed to realize the full benefits of visual …

Use Of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators In High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion, Soumya Malhotra, Khavir Sharieff

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Title: Use of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators in High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion Authors: Soumya Malhotra, BA., MS1 & Khavir Sharieff, DO, MBA2 1Class of 2027, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2Assistant Professor of Surgery, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tampa Bay, FLNova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the advantages of EBGSs following high-risk spinal fusions. Background: Pseudarthrosis is a condition where bones fail to fuse after an injury or surgery. It causes significant …

Editorial To Advances In Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Gabriel C. Tender, George A. Crabill

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Smart Cushion Device For Elderly Aging In Place, Anna Dion, Nate Colley, Leonardo Bravo

Biomedical Engineering

Our task at hand is to develop a consumer-focused solution for improving elder care to provide additional peace of mind for seniors and caregivers using technology to extend independent living. We intend to create a device that will improve the quality of life of elderly individuals living alone by encouraging periodical movement throughout the day, along with monitoring pressure distribution and alerting when pressure concentration is potentially harmful. It will also alert users to the presence of moisture which can arise from spills or incontinence. The key stakeholders of this project include elderly adults over the age of 65 who …

Toward Electrical Impedance Sensing Surgical Drill For Tissue Boundary Detection, Harshavardhan Devaraj

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Dental implantation is an increasingly common procedure used to treat missing teeth. However, surgical drilling to place the implant poses a high risk of injury to critical anatomy, such as inferior alveolar nerve injury or maxillary sinus perforation. A real-time surgical feedback system sensing proximity of these critical anatomy could reduce injury risks. This dissertation investigates the development of such a system that incorporates an electrical impedance sensor into the tip of a surgical drill.

A simulation framework based on finite element method (FEM) was developed to optimize the sensor as it approached a high impedance boundary. The accuracy of …

Assisted Delivery Device, Rachel Rowe, Madeliene Mumford, Jenna Eissmann, Brittany Trinh

Biomedical Engineering

Current devices used to assist in complicated births present serious risks to both the mother and the fetus, which has caused a decline in the use of these devices over the last decade. This senior project team has proposed an alternative device that interfaces with the infant’s shoulders that would decrease these risks and contribute to the decrease of unnecessary c-sections due to device inadequacy. This Statement of Work includes research on the downfalls of current devices, existing patents, customer requirements, engineering specifications, and a design plan through December of this year. The next phase of this project will include …

Mobilise-D Insights To Estimate Real-World Walking Speed In Multiple Conditions With A Wearable Device, Cameron Kirk, Arne Küderle, M Encarna Micó-Amigo, Tecla Bonci, Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu, Martin Ullrich, Abolfazl Soltani, Eran Gazit, Francesca Salis, Lisa Alcock, Kamiar Aminian, Clemens Becker, Stefano Bertuletti, Philip Brown, Ellen Buckley, Alma Cantu, Anne-Elie Carsin, Marco Caruso, Brian Caulfield, Andrea Cereatti, Lorenzo Chiari, Ilaria D'Ascanio, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Clint Hansen, Jeffrey M Hausdorff, Hugo Hiden, Emily Hume, Alison Keogh, Felix Kluge, Sarah Koch, Walter Maetzler, Dimitrios Megaritis, Arne Mueller, Martijn Niessen, Luca Palmerini, Lars Schwickert, Kirsty Scott, Basil Sharrack, Henrik Sillén, David Singleton, Beatrix Vereijken, Ioannis Vogiatzis, Alison J Yarnall, Lynn Rochester, Claudia Mazzà, Bjoern M Eskofier, Silvia Del Din

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to validate a wearable device's walking speed estimation pipeline, considering complexity, speed, and walking bout duration. The goal was to provide recommendations on the use of wearable devices for real-world mobility analysis. Participants with Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Proximal Femoral Fracture, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, and healthy older adults (n = 97) were monitored in the laboratory and the real-world (2.5 h), using a lower back wearable device. Two walking speed estimation pipelines were validated across 4408/1298 (2.5 h/laboratory) detected walking bouts, compared to 4620/1365 bouts detected by a multi-sensor reference system. In the …

Guardians Of The Catheters, Interprofessional Collaboration Reduced Cauti Rates At Phfh, Dawn Doud, Angela Shemwell, Stephanie Brown, Tobi Bryan, Georgia Gauron, Tasha Anisimov, Peter Weitzman, Emma Peterson, Tiffanie Rampley

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Abstract Title: A Quality Improvement Project to Reduce CAUTIs on Inpatient Units

Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to understand how interprofessional collaboration contributed to CAUTI reduction on inpatient acute care units.
2. Participants will be able to understand education nurses completed to reduce CAUTI rates on inpatient acute care units.

Purpose/Aims:

To reduce CAUTI rates for adult inpatients admitted to the acute care units: Progressive Care Unit (PCU), Surgical/Orthopedics, Medical/Oncology, and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Background

An increase in CAUTI rates for adults admitted to inpatient units was identified in January of 2024. The CAUTI rate at that time was …

Degradable Staples And Delivery Device, Meha Elango, Jessica Cabrera, Makayla Scarpitti, Kareemat Melaiye

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The scope of this project is to design a method to secure skin grafts to healthy tissue. The ultimate goal for the proposed method is to be dissolvable in some form. Currently, skin grafts procedures utilize staples in most cases to hold a skin graft in place, but there are disadvantages that come with it. Staples are easy to place, but time consuming during the removal procedure. They also cause a lot of pain and discomfort for the patient. The goal of this project is to determine a way a secure skin grafts to healthy skin in order to reduce …

Air-Jet Bioprinting Of Stem Cell-Encapsulated Alginate Micro-Droplets For Organoid Biomanufacturing, Mirabella B. Stump

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomanufactured 3D-organoids show promise for modeling and treating various conditions, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type-1 diabetes). Pancreatic islet organoids serve as sustainable sources of insulin-producing β-cells, potentially restoring insulin regulation in patients and providing a long-term solution for diabetes. Hydrogel droplet printing is an emerging technique in regenerative medicine due to its advantageous tunability and biocompatibility; however, challenges of consistency, quality control, and scalability persist. To address these issues, we developed a novel air-jetting based droplet bioprinting system for the generation of monodispersed alginate micro-droplets. The objective of this project was to incorporate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Cold-Water Immersion On Arterial Compliance, Rita M. Grigorian

Master's Theses

As the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases continues to exponentially grow in populations across the globe, the necessity of determining underlying factors, effective methods of diagnoses, and universally available preventive measures also grows. Early detection of endothelial dysfunction, a proven precursor of cardiovascular diseases, can be extremely impactful in encouraging preventative measures and early intervention before medical conditions become chronic. In recent years, ice plunging, a form of cryotherapy involving full body immersion in cold water, has gained popularity within circles of fitness and health practitioners, gaining the interest of people of all backgrounds. Certain parallels observed between the human physiological …

Cerebral Blood Flow Measured By Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy For Monitoring Depth Of Anesthesia In Piglets, Mert Deniz Polat, Kurtulus Izzetoglu, Randolph Sinahon, Meltem Izzetoglu, Shadi Malaeb

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Portable Gynecological Examination Table On Increasing Access To Cervical Cancer Screenings, Brennan Burrows, Giuliana Motta, Vibhasri Davuluri, Urvee Deo, Aman Tahir, Brindha Rajakumar, Jacob Blumenstein, Eliza Steinberg, Mariam Tobia, Asmita Tuladhar, Abigail Ahn

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a preventable disease affecting millions of women worldwide, with higher prevalence and mortality in developing countries. One explanation of this disparity is due to reduced access to screenings, especially in rural communities where mobile health clinics are limited by what medical equipment they can bring. To address these barriers, an engineering team called Project MESA (Making Examinations Safe and Accessible) designed a gynecological examination table that is portable, lightweight, and easily sanitizable.

Objective: This study aims to (1) evaluate whether the implementation of this device improves the clinician’s ability to perform pap smears as opposed to …

Seeing The Big Picture: System Architecture Trends In Endoscopy And Led-Based Hyperspectral Subsystem Intergration, Craig M. Browning

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Early-stage colorectal lesions remain difficult to detect. Early development of neoplasia tends to be small (less than 10 mm) and flat and difficult to distinguish from surrounding mucosa. Additionally, optical diagnosis of neoplasia as benign or malignant is problematic. Low rates of detection of these lesions allow for continued growth in the colorectum and increased risk of cancer formation. Therefore, it is crucial to detect neoplasia and other non-neoplastic lesions to determine risk and guide future treatment. Technology for detection needs to enhance contrast of subtle tissue differences in the colorectum and track multiple biomarkers simultaneously. This work implements one …

Pulsatility Is A Predictive Marker Of Improved Cardiac Function In Patients With Liquid Matrix-Treated Left Ventricular Assist Devices, Philemon Mikail, Rinku Skaria, Marvin Slepian, Janny Garcia, Richard Smith, Zain Khalpey

The VAD Journal

Objective: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are utilized as a bridge to transplant or as destination therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. Although cardiac offloading from these devices rarely leads to complete remodeling and functional recovery, the use of mesenchymal cells to modulate heart failure has been explored in recent years due to its intrinsic regenerative properties. Current methods of evaluating cardiac function have too much variability, difficulty of access, or require too frequent follow up to create universal weaning protocols. We hypothesized that the administration of amniotic allograft liquid matrix (LM) containing amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (aMSCs) in …

Flash Radiotherapy: Skin Pigmentation As A Non-Invasive Indicator For Radiation-Induced Damage, Brady Mccallister

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

FLASH ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most rapidly growing subfields of radiation oncology today due to its potential to increase the limits of the therapeutic ratio. The FLASH effect, which includes heightened normal tissue sparing paired with iso-effective tumor cell killing, has been literature documented, in a limited manner, in rodent models, a few large animals, and one clinical patients.

A porcine-based experiment was conducted to test the effects of FLASH RT on normal tissue compared to conventional (CONV) RT. A clinical linear accelerator (LINAC) was reversibly converted to be capable of FLASH RT. A female …

Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence

Theses and Dissertations

Combining vibrating mesh nebulizers with additional new technologies leads to substantial improvements in pharmaceutical aerosol delivery to the lungs across therapeutic administration methods. In this dissertation, streamlined components, aerosol administration synchronization, and/or Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) technologies were utilized to develop and test several novel devices and aerosol delivery systems. The first focus of this work was to improve the poor delivery efficiency, e.g., 3.6% of nominal dose (Dugernier et al. 2017), of aerosolized medication administration to adult human subjects concurrent with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a form of continuous-flow non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The developed Low-Volume Mixer-Heater (LVMH) …

Technology Aiding In Neonatal Lung Developmental Care, Megan Kirk

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this paper, old as well as new technological findings to decrease premature infant mortality are reviewed. This paper discusses fetal development throughout pregnancy from conception to full-term status as well as fetal lung development specifically from conception until full-term status. Several ideas to rapidly develop and mature fetal lungs are discussed such as mothers ingesting artificial surfactant supplements, either independently or coupled with antenatal corticosteroids, as well as intra-amniotic instillation prior to 28 weeks gestational. Drawbacks regarding these two are mentioned as well such as the fetus’s lungs not being mature enough to use the artificial surfactant leading into …

Machine Learning Approaches For Fracture Risk Assessment: A Comparative Analysis Of Genomic And Phenotypic Data In 5130 Older Men, Qing Wu, Fatma Nasoz, Jongyun Jung, Bibek Bhattarai, Mira V. Han

School of Public Health Faculty Research

The study aims were to develop fracture prediction models by using machine learning approaches and genomic data, as well as to identify the best modeling approach for fracture prediction. The genomic data of Osteoporotic Fractures in Men, cohort Study (n = 5130), were analyzed. After a comprehensive genotype imputation, genetic risk score (GRS) was calculated from 1103 associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms for each participant. Data were normalized and split into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%) for analysis. Random forest, gradient boosting, neural network, and logistic regression were used to develop prediction models for major osteoporotic fractures …

Relative Contribution Of Arms And Legs Through Repetitive Assisted Sit-To-Stand Motion In Individuals With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, Abd Aziz Musfirah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Sit-To-Stand (SitTS) exercise is one of important prerequisites to achieve some functional independence goals in everyday life especially for individuals undergoing rehabilitation In general, the execution of SitTS in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients involves motor function in both upper and lower extremities. The use of arm support in particular is a very significant element while executing SitTS movement for SCI population. In addition, application of functional electrical stimulation (FES) onto the quadriceps muscles is one of the prescribed management for incomplete SCI to improve muscle action for simple lower limb movements. However, the relative contribution of upper and lower …