Ideation Process
Innovation Situation Questionnaire
1. Brief description of the problem
need to translate data output from an oxygen sensor into a readable easy to analyze signal
2. Information about the system
2.1 System name
oxygen sensor display/converter
2.2 System structure
oxygen sensor will be attached to patient
our display device will be attached to the sensor, and then to a computer
2.3 Functioning of the system
Primary use:
Determine the ratio of compressed room air to medical grade oxygen that the oxygen blender will supply in order to produce the appropriate percentage of FiO2 (at levels determined by normal profiles)
Reason to perform the primary useful function:
To be able to monitor and control blood oxygen saturation levels in premature infants, with the use of an integrator.
Functioning of system:
When the oxygen sensor takes it's measurements, they are transferred into our display/converter
the converter then calculates and displays the desired information
2.4 System environment
will be used at room temperature, in a typical hospital room setting
3. Information about the problem situation
3.1 Problem that should be resolved
The fluctuations in the blood oxygen saturation levels regardless of the monitoring and control of present methods
3.2 Mechanism causing the problem
Very little control on delivering accurate levels of oxygen
3.3 Undesired consequences of unresolved problem
Too much oxygen delivered can lead to retinopathy, thus blindness in baby
3.4 History of the problem
Premature retinopathy is a disorder of the retina that prevents the eye from developing properly and can lead to damage and blindness. There is not any "perfect" monitoring system of delivering oxygen.
3.5 Other systems in which a similar problem exists
have better patient outcomes, less time in hospital, and cost reductions
3.6 Other problems to be solved
have better patient outcomes, less time in hospital, and cost reductions
4. Ideal vision of solution
Wish to deliver oxygen accurately
5. Available resources
The Ohmeda Oximeter
6. Allowable changes to the system
Completely changing the system is allowed, however given the amount of time and experience, this is not likely to happen. We are making a small change by incorporating specific protocols to adjust delivery of oxygen.
7. Criteria for selecting solution concepts
Figuring out the algorithm would be a very big accomplishment. This is a very important step in getting closer to our goal.
8. Company business environment
Ohmeda for the oximeter, and Dr. Penn with his experience from Vanderbilt University Medical Center
9. Project data
Project Name: Oxygen Control and Measuring System
Project Objectives: design, build, and test a device that can monitor and control blood oxygen saturation levels.
Project Timeline : Still in progress
Project Team: Trent Roszell, Payal Sehgal, Jean Pappalardo
Problem Formulation
1. Build the Diagram
2. Directions for Innovation
4/23/03 4:10:34 PM Diagram3
1. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (Retinopathy in Infants) under the conditions of [the] (fluctuation of saturated blood oxygen levels), (not turning the FiO2 knob immediately) and (constant oxygen delivery).
2. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (fluctuation of saturated blood oxygen levels) in order to avoid [the] (Retinopathy in Infants), under the conditions of [the] (not turning the FiO2 knob immediately).
3. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (not turning the FiO2 knob immediately) in order to avoid [the] (Retinopathy in Infants) and (fluctuation of saturated blood oxygen levels), under the conditions of [the] (Nurses having more than one baby to take care of) and (Nurses eyeballing the increase or decrease the FiO2 level).
4. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (Nurses having more than one baby to take care of) in order to avoid [the] (not turning the FiO2 knob immediately).
5. Find an alternative way to obtain [the] (pulse oximeter control software) that offers the following: eliminates, reduces, or prevents [the] (Nurses having more than one baby to take care of), does not require [the] (suggesting an actual number for FiO2) and (Design, Build, and Test).
6. Find an alternative way to obtain [the] (suggesting an actual number for FiO2) that offers the following: provides or enhances [the] (pulse oximeter control software), eliminates, reduces, or prevents [the] (Nurses eyeballing the increase or decrease the FiO2 level) and (nurses guessing how much or little to turn the oxygen knob), does not require [the] (Fuzzy logic/Control theroy/Boolean theory) and (LabVIEW Software).
7. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (Nurses eyeballing the increase or decrease the FiO2 level) in order to avoid [the] (not turning the FiO2 knob immediately).
8. Find an alternative way to obtain [the] (Fuzzy logic/Control theroy/Boolean theory) that provides or enhances [the] (suggesting an actual number for FiO2).
9. Find an alternative way to obtain [the] (LabVIEW Software) that provides or enhances [the] (suggesting an actual number for FiO2).
10. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (constant oxygen delivery) in order to avoid [the] (Retinopathy in Infants).
11. Find an alternative way to obtain [the] (Design, Build, and Test) that provides or enhances [the] (pulse oximeter control software).
12. Find a way to eliminate, reduce, or prevent [the] (nurses guessing how much or little to turn the oxygen knob).
Prioritize Directions
1. Directions selected for further consideration
First priority: Understand concepts of control theory, fuzzy logic, and boolean logic.
Long-term: Devise a program that will eliminate nurses having to eyeball the increase or decrease in oxygen for premature infants. This program should accurately read in the data from pulse ox and then suggest an increase or decrease in FiO2 levels.
Out of scope: Use one of the above approaches to automate the oxygen delivery to premature infants, and save up nurses time.
2. List and categorize all preliminary ideas
1. Use of true/false statements for program
2. Use of devising ranges, if SaO2 hits 90 place it in the range of 85-92
3. Use back up alarms
4. Find trends in infants data
5. Understand if labview's fuzzy logic approach.
6. Decide when to place alarms
7. Visit NICU
8. Only let alarm on pulse oximeter sound if child is falling into apnea.
9. Use a trend in one infants data and find
Develop Concepts
1. Combine ideas into Concepts
1. Fuzzy and Boolean logic that will understand the data and offer a feedback to tell the nurse the appropriate FiO2 level.
2. Fuzzy: takes care of gray areas, deals with ranges, will offer feedback after it passes a range.
Boolean: Code is more black and white. Will offer feedback at every ten seconds the oximeter values being read into the software.
3. Fuzzy is good for offering feedback at longer time intervals, and thus nurses dont look at babies as often. This can lead to liability counts if system fails. Boolean will offer constant feedback and be more accurate at solving estimating FiO2 changes. Nurses will not have to guess how much to increase or decrease by.
4. Fuzzy logic will tell nurses at what range baby is in and what it should be,
the range it has to go to (the actual number) will still implement boolean and thus boolean is the better approach.
2. Apply Lines of Evolution to further improve Concepts
Completely eliminate nurses by having our software automatically turn the oxygen knob.
Have our software predict the infant's SaO2 level.
Have a button for an ideal SaO2 level for each baby
Evaluate Results
1. Meet criteria for evaluating Concepts
Eliminate nurses from eyeballing input oxygen
Nurses will have one less task to worry about
Using LabVIEW to input data from pulse oximeter
2. Reveal and prevent potential failures
Software can misinterpret the reading of SaO2, nurse should look at pulse oximeter for back up
Bugs can invade software and thus suggest wrong FiO2 levels.
Sensor can come off infant, or not work and thus will give the software a reading of "0"
3. Plan the implementation
Design computer software
Read in SaO2 level of infant.
· Places string it reads in from pulse ox into labview software.
· Have nurse or doctor input what is the ideal SaO2 level per baby
· LabVIEW will take in actual infants data and analyze it compared to ideal level
· LabVIEW will suggest a number.
· This suggested number will be read out to nurses.
· Nurses can still increase or decrease Oxygen, they dont have to guess.