Nathan Luibrand
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Finances:
Amount Requested: $5000
Proposed Grant Period (To begin on or after March 1, 2010): 3/2010 – 5/2010
Proposal Abstract(250 words or less):
Laparoscopic Cardiac Scalpel
The current supply of intracardiac tools is limited. We are developing tools such as scalpels, forceps, and snares that can be applied to laparoscopic cardiac procedures.
The current work plan is divided into two semesters. The remainder of the first semester will be used to continue researching useful design specifications for surgical use of the different tools and spending time designing the device using computer-aided design software such as AutoCAD. At the end of this first semester, our goal is to have one or more intracardiac tools designed and submitted to other companies for the construction of a prototype. We consider success in the overall academic year to be the completion of an acceptable prototype. We wish to be at a stage where the prototype appears promising enough for someone else to be willing to take the design to completion should we choose to conclude our work at graduation. However, the acquisition of a patent and subsequently seeing our prototype used successfully in a patient would be our ultimate measure of success.
Narrative:
Introduction:
The current supply of intracardiac tools is limited. We are developing tools such as scalpels, forceps, and snares that can be applied to laparoscopic cardiac procedures.
History and Context:
We currently do not have a functioning model of the described tools. This project is based on the fact that there is no current specialized equipment for laparoscopic heart surgery. Most heart surgeries are highly invasive.
Team
Our team consists of four biomedical engineers: Nathan Luibrand, Nicholas Luibrand, Lukas Richards, and Elise Adcock-Hinojosa. Nathan Luibrand is serving as the team leader. It will be his job to make sure the group maintains focus and that the team does not fall behind schedule according to the work plan. He will provide general aid wherever it is required, whether it be in computer programming or design, biomaterials, research, or allocation of the budget.
Nick Luibrand will be serving as the computer-aided design specialist. He has been trained in AutoCAD in the past for the development of microfluidic devices and plans to use this knowledge for the designing of the intracardiac tools. He will also be one of the primary researchers for the possible designs which would be the most effective for an intracardiac tool.
Lukas Richards will be responsible for determining biocompatibility and anatomical requirements for the tools being designed. He must make sure that all materials used are safe for the human body and are strong enough to be used as a surgical tool. He also will be aiding with the design of the tools in AutoCAD.
Elise Adcock-Hinojosa will be in charge of finances for our project. She will be responsible for our project budget as well as the allocation of resources. Being in charge of the budget requires that she will have to coordinate with the project leader to ensure that the budget remains intact as well as Lukas to ensure that biocompatible materials are also cost-efficient.
Work Plan and Outcomes
The work plan is divided into two semesters. The remainder of the first semester will be used to continue researching useful design specifications for surgical use of the different tools. This will be done in a multitude of ways. Certain areas of research will be divided amongst the team. For example, it will be one member’s responsibility to perform research on the surgical history of intracardiac tools. Doing so could result in better time management since designs and methods already proven ineffective in the past can be avoided altogether. Another member will have the responsibility of learning about the advantages, disadvantages, and risks associated with the different types of heart surgery possible. Of particular note, our design has to work at a long distance under visualization of a fiber optic scope. Part of the process in determining feasibility will include witnessing similar surgeries first hand, asking cardiac surgeons for their thoughts and for advice. In addition to large amounts of research, our group will begin designing the physical characteristics of the product using computer-aided….
design software such as AutoCAD. At the end of this first semester, our goal is to have designed, using an autoCAD tool, at least an intracardiac scalpel or scissors adapted to be usable over long range.
During the Fall Semester Dr. Barnett will play a guidance role in the development of the design. In general, whenever the group needs advice Dr. Barnett will be the first person approached for help. He will also be responsible for telling us exactly what it is our product needs to do and exactly what conditions our product needs to perform in. Obviously, Dr. Barnett will prove to be an invaluable source of knowledge and frequent meetings with him will result in an overall better design.
The beginning of the spring semester will be used to submit the first design prototype to companies that can construct a functional prototype meeting our specification. The actual amount of time it will take for the companies to provide us with our requested prototypes is unknown. During this waiting period we will try to develop additional laparoscopic intracardiac tools based on our research. This method ensures that the group can always be working on something, whether it is testing a prototype of the intracardiac scalpel designed during the fall semester or designing an additional intracardiac tool that can be returned to at a later date. Testing the prototype of our design, troubleshooting, and collecting data will ultimately comprise most of the spring semester – revealing any overlooked flaws in the design (if there are any present) which can then be altered using CAD before new prototypes are requested. It is unlikely that a single semester of prototype testing would be sufficient to provide us with a significantly reliable product, however, and continuation into the summer, at least, would be necessary to refine the design completely.
Dr. Barnett will play a more vital role during the spring semester, since he alone will determine whether or not our prototype(s) does what is was designed to do. At this point minor tweaks will have to be made to enhance the design as much as possible and promote maximum efficiency. Problems encountered during testing of the prototypes may require some creative thinking to maneuver around and Dr. Barnett’s experiences will prove essential in helping the design team overcome any remaining problems in the design.
Concerning education, we hope to discover what design specifications are important when it comes to performing surgery on the human heart. Our minimum commercial goal is to patent at least one intracardiac tool, but we are optimistic to receive patents for a set of intracardiac tools. Whether or not we achieve this goal will depend on time constraints and the readiness of available resources, work space, and how quickly data for each tool can be acquired.
At the end of the grant period, the project will ideally have been completed with multiple intracardiac tools having been designed and functioning prototypes having been built. If by the end of the grant period there still exists a type of tool which has yet to be designed and tested, then it is very likely that the project would be continued. The project would be continued until those working on it were satisfied that no more different types of tools could be built based on the principal design of the first tools. The project will succeed because the current lack of options for laparoscopic intracardiac procedures means that any significant advances made by our team would not only be a success for our team, but would also open the field for others to build upon our work.
We consider success in the academic year to be the completion of an acceptable prototype. We should be at a stage where the prototype looks promising enough for someone else to be willing to take the design to completion should we choose to conclude our work at graduation. However, the acquisition of a patent and subsequently using our prototype successfully in a patient would be our ultimate measure of success.