Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Toward Dosing Precision and Insulin Stability in an Artificial Pancreas System
A fully implantable artificial pancreas (AP) still represents the holy grail for diabetes treatment. The quest for efficient miniaturized implantable insulin pumps, able to accurately regulate the blood glucose profile and to keep insulin stability, is still persistent. This work describes the design and testing of a microinjection system connected to a variable volume insulin reservoir devised to favor insulin stability during storage. The design, the constitutive materials, and the related fabrication techniques were selected to favor insulin stability by avoiding —or at least limiting—hormone aggregation. We compare...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - January 22, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

A Robust Incubator to Improve Access to Microbiological Culture in Low Resource Environments
To help address the limitations of operating conventional microbiological culture incubators in low resource environments, a new incubator design was developed and tested to meet the requirements of operation in laboratories without reliable power (power outages up to 12 contiguous hours) or climate control (ambient indoor temperatures from 5 °C to 45 °C). The device is designed to enable adherence to incubation temperatures recommended for growth detection, identification, and drug susceptibility testing (DST) of human pathogenic bacteria. During power outages, stable temperatures are maintained in the device's int...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - January 22, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Wheelchair-Portable Patient Lift
(Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME)
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - December 6, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Identifying Critical Design Parameters for Improved Body Temperature Measurements: A Clinical Study Comparing Transient and Predicted Temperature Measurements
Readily available store brand, or “home,” thermometers are used countless times in the home and clinic as a first diagnostic measure of body temperature. Measurement inaccuracies may lead to unnecessary medical visits or medication (false positives), or, potentially worse, lack of intervention when a person is truly sick (false negatives). A critical first step in the design process is to determine the shortcomings of the existing designs. For this project, we evaluated the accuracy of three currently available store brand thermometers in a pediatric population. The accuracies of the thermometers were assessed by compa...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - December 4, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Adapted Motor-Assisted Elliptical for Rehabilitation of Children With Physical Disabilities
In conclusion, this study demonstrated the feasibility of using the pediatric-modified ICARE with children as young as 3 years old as an adjunct to ongoing therapy. (Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME)
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - December 4, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

A Hand-Held Device to Apply Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization at Targeted Compression Forces and Stroke Frequencies
The objective of this study was to develop a simple hand-held device that helps users accurately apply targeted compressive forces and stroke frequencies during IASTM treatments. This portable device uses a force sensor, tablet computer, and custom software to guide the application of user-specified loading parameters. To measure performance, the device was used to apply a combination of targeted forces and stroke frequencies to foam blocks and silicone pads. Three operators using the device applied targeted forces between 0.3 and 125 N with less than 10% error and applied targeted stroke frequencies between 0.25 and 1.0 �...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - December 4, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Using Simulation to Help Specify Design Parameters for Vacuum-Assisted Needle Biopsy Systems
Needle biopsy is a routine medical procedure for examining tissue or biofluids for the presence of disease using standard methods of pathology. The finite element analysis (FEA) methodology can provide guidance for optimizing the geometric parameters. The needle biopsy is simulated and analyzed while varying the needle angle, the aperture size and the slice-push ratio k. The results indicate that tissue reaction force in the axial direction of needle gradually decreases, and the stress and strain are more concentrated at the tip of needle with the increases of tip angle; the tissue reaction force decreases, and the torque ...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - November 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Utilization of Cable Guide Channels for Compact Articulation Within a Dexterous Three Degrees-of-Freedom Surgical Wrist Design
Pin-jointed wrist mechanisms provide compact articulation for surgical robotic applications, but are difficult to miniaturize at scales suitable for small body cavity surgery. Solid surface cable guide channels, which eliminate the need for pulleys and reduce overall length to facilitate miniaturization, were developed within a three-degree-of-freedom cable-driven pin-jointed wrist mechanism. A prototype was 3D printed in steel at 5 mm diameter. Friction generated by the guide channels was experimentally tested to determine increases in cable tension during constant cable velocity conditions. Cable tension increased exp...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - November 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Thoracic Volumes Correlated With Pulmonary Function Tests in Adult Scoliosis Patients Following Different Treatments in Adolescence
This study provides an evidence that thoracic volume measurement can be used to infer the pulmonary function for spine deformity patients with moderate to severe scoliosis Cobb angle. Based on the calculation of the thoracic volumes in scoliosis patients, we correlate the parameters in the pulmonary function test to the measured thoracic volume through our software. The findings show the strong correlation between total lung capacity and the thoracic volume, and a significant correlation between the vital capacity/residual volume and the thoracic volume. An interpretation of the findings, limitation, and the future applica...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - November 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research

Improved Method for the ASTM Platelet and Leukocyte Assay: Use of Minimal Heparinization in a Screening Test for Hemocompatibility of Blood-Contacting Medical Devices
Most blood-contacting medical devices must be assessed for potential thrombogenicity prior to regulatory approval. A common assay for screening and qualifying devices involves monitoring the reduction of platelet and leukocyte (P&L) counts in whole blood exposed to the device. We have validated an improved method for assessing a device's effect on platelet activation and surface adhesion, offering significant improvement over the current ASTM F2888-13 method, which uses blood fully anticoagulated by acidified citrate (known to significantly inhibit platelet responsiveness). Our method uses minimal heparinization (final...
Source: Journal of Medical Devices, Transactions of the ASME - November 19, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Source Type: research