School of Engineering
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University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering |
Overview
Recently, there has been renewed interest in using moderate hypothermia, defined as a patient’s core body temperature is between 32 and 34 °C, as a clinical means of offering neurological protection to patients with severe head trauma, cardiac or pulmonary distress, or other pathologies that compromise the body’s ability deliver oxygen to the brain. Hypothermia helps to counteract the decrease in oxygenation by reducing the brain’s oxygen requirements. Studies have also shown that hypothermia may also improve the neurological outcome of patients by slowing and preventing neuronal apoptosis.
Current methods for inducing hypothermia include medications, ice water baths, cooling blankets, and an IV of 4°C crystalloid[1]. Medications may have different effects depending on the patient and external cooling methods are slow to act. An alternative approach would be to improve the efficacy of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator’s heat exchanger to lower the patient’s core body temperature. This method would allow for the rapid induction of hypothermia and would have the capability of adjusting the patient’s core body temperature more easily than the other methods currently available.
Deliverable
Research Manuscript
Design History Files
Specification
Product Design Specification Function Means Object Tree Human Factors Analysis
HFA Failure Mode Effects Analysis
FMEA Initial Hazard Analysis Fault Tree 510(k)
510(k)
Project Plan
Gantt chart Gantt chart
Presentations
BE1160 - Final Presentation - Project Proposal (Dec.5, 2003) BE1161 - Project Update (Feb. 17, 2004) BE1161 - Final Presentation (Apr. 13, 2004)
Team Information
Team Members
Kim Albrecht Adam Abulally Erin Aghamehdi Rebecca Hrutkay Mentors
Joe Carcillo, MD
