Final Specifications

Size and Appearance:
The PCA pump is designed to minimize the overall size and maximize the convenience for the patient. This product must be portable and small enough to hold in the palm of one’s hand:
-Small pump system similar to an asthma inhaler
-“L-shaped” body consisting of the mechanical base and a canister
-No bigger than 5 inches high and 3 inches wide

Source of Power for Mechanism:
To allow the patient optimum flexibility with the PCA pump, the mechanism will use a rechargeable battery operating system that will power both the pumping mechanism for the drug and the computer system:
-Ideal battery life will be 14 hours
-Recharged using a wall adapter

Mechanical locking system:
For security measures, the patient must activate two buttons on the back of the pump to release the dosage of medication. After these two buttons are pressed, the patient can receive the medicine by pressing a large button on the top of the pump.
-Safety buttons are positioned to put the canister in an “unlock” mode
-Pins built within the canister are aligned with the safety buttons
-Once the safety buttons are pressed, the pins release the canister from “lock mode” to “unlock mode”
-The large button on the top allows the drug to pass from the pump to the patient’s mouth
-If all 3 buttons are pressed correctly, a dose will successfully be released and recorded in the computer system

Mechanical release system of drug:
The pain medication is ejected in a gaseous form. The formation of gas is accomplished by having the drug in a highly pressurized state in the canister and then having it released into an area of lower pressure.
-Canister contains 200 doses of medication in a pressurized liquid form
-Individual doses are released via a tube from the canister to the base
-A mechanized system applies pressure to the bottom of the canister to force a dose to be released from the tube
-Once released from the tube, gas flows through the base directly to the patient’s mouth

Care and maintenance of system:
-Since this is a system that is placed in a patient’s mouth, the mouthpiece of the system must be removable to ensure a bacteria free surface. In addition, the exterior surface of the PCA pump will be made out of smooth plastic to ensure overall cleanliness.
-In terms of power maintenance, batteries can be changed by unscrewing a small door at the bottom of the pump.

The Joys of Oral Painkillers...

While I was hoping that I would get around to meeting with my partners for the bioengineering design project, I woke up at 3:30AM on Saturday morning with excruciating ear pain in my right ear. After several panic-calls to Penn-transit, I found myself sitting at the UPenn hospital emergency room twiddling my thumbs impatiently waiting for a doctor to bring me out of my misery (and hopefully, pain).

After an hour of waiting, I left the hospital with a prescription for oral painkillers, antibiotics, and neomycin ear drops to help cure my ear infection. My only thoughts at that moment were relief and exhaustion, but after the pain subsided later that evening, I came around to appreciate the how efficient the painkillers/antibiotics actually were.

I can't imagine having to insert a needle into my arm each time I was in pain. For every individual time I ever needed a dose of pain medication, I don't know if I would have been capable of using such an intravenous method. My unfortunate experience this weekend brought me a lot of pain, but also gave me insight on how important it is to remain "ahead of the curve" in terms of methods of administering medication. I can only imagine how cumbersome and tiresome it is for people in constant pain to have to use a needle to manage it sufficiently.

Presently, my pain is gradually subsiding, thanks to the help of modern medicine, and my mind is in full swing, ready to get back into the world of design and creation in BE 100.

We all hate pins and needles...there must be an alternative

As I sat back and listened to Dr. Bogen in lecture today, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with this new monster of a project. At first, I figured that it was my responsibility to be able to design, build, and test a new device to administer pain medication orally. Since I do not even know how to use a power tool, let alone be able to use a screwdriver, I initially panicked. Once Dr. Bogen cleared up my confusion about not having to actually BUILD the device, my fears quickly subsided.

Nothing is worse than being in pain and being incapable of controlling it. Pain medication makes healing much more bearable for the patient. Whenever I get injured in figure skating, I want nothing more than the pain to vanish. With the help of oral medication, I am usually able to dull the discomfort and continue on with my day.

Imagine recovering from a complicated surgery without pain medication. With the help and expertise of biomedical engineers, there are devices that can help manage pain levels. Presently, all of these devices are invasive. Being confined to a bed with needles makes it more difficult to move as well as heighten the level of discomfort for the patient. But what if the patient is in an emergency situation when there is no time to insert a needle. What will happen if someone is wounded on the battle field and must be airlifted to a hospital? Will they need pain medication? Of course, but needles may be unsanitary or more complex to administer.

With the help of a device that can deliver pain medication orally, patients can be assured that the administration of the pain relievers will be both sanitary and quick.

Now, the big question is whether or not there is a market for such devices. I personally hate needles and will choose any other alternative to them (I think most people would agree with me). Therefore, there is a definite marker for such a medical device. The bigger question is whether such a device is feasible to be built. Although I am not a qualified engineer, I think that we can all individually and collectively think of possible ways to construct a machine that will administer pain medication orally.

Arrows, and Rectangles, and Circles, Oh My!

Alright, alright. The bioengineering project was not solely devoted to making my flowchart look presentable with various shapes and colors. Nor was word-count my only quality indicator. Honestly, I thought this analytical project would be much more simpler than I thought it would be.

As one can see, I originally thought that I would be capable of mapping out an entire neurological disorder, its treatment, and the respective side effects. After much research and way too many hours of panicking, I discovered that this project was not about the complexity of the problem or technology, but more along the lines of being able to analyze and certain topic of interest. With two weeks until the paper's deadline, I threw out all research pertaining to Ritalin, ADD, and ADHD, and hastily began brainstorming of other topics of interest.

One field of medicine that has always captured my attention was cardiology. I immediately thought of the pacemaker for my topic of choice, but upon further research, I learned that the pacemaker is no longer a technology with one pre-determined setting. Today, pacemakers closely resemble the functioning of a human's natural pacemaker by using a more dynamic approach.. The dual chamber rate responsive pace maker functions on three different setting and uses physiological sensors to determine which mode is most appropriate. In addition, the pacemaker's computer chip uses the information from different physiological states to construct an overall level of exertion to determine the magnitude of the electrical impulse that should be sent out.

So I guess today's question is: did I gain anything by "mapping" out the pacemaker? My answer is most certainly yes. Not only was this the most challenging assignment I have had at Penn thus far, but I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of handling "engineering" projects. While I am only an introductory engineering class, this project was my first stepping stone into the world of analysis, design, and construction. I did not invent the pacemaker or help construct it, but by analyzing it on such a small level of detail, I began to appreciate the crossover between a soundly built engineering machine with the ability for it to be able to function in a human body. As a hopeful doctor, I want to understand how medical machines work. This machine analysis project has shown me the true value of keeping an engineering perspective on medical technology.

Does ritalin do more harm than good?

Fall break at Penn is a great way to spend time catching up with friends, family, homework, and bioengineering research.

I spent some time today perusing articles on PubMed addressing several side effects of the stimulant ritalin. Ritalin certainly helps people of all ages dealing with ADD/ADHD, but as with any drug, comes with a myriad of risks and side effects. Aside from several common side effects such as loss of appetite, moodiness, headaches, and weight loss, people who are prescribed ritalin are warned about involuntary muscle spasms or "tics".

How does a drug cause involuntary muscle spasms? If ritalin is supposed to control the brain, why does the drug cause involuntary actions? Does this stimulant "overstimulate" certain areas of the brain involving motor movement?

I am fascinated as to why a stimulant is used to control the brain, but as well as to why it would cause additional actions such as tics. I think I may have found an even more specific research topic to deal with!

Researching a potential research topic:

I am presently five weeks into my BE 100 course. Five weeks is not nearly enough time to award myself an engineering degree, but I have mastered logging into the PubMed database for articles.

Over the past week, I have found myself “googling”, reading, and typing away, trying to find a topic worthy enough for my first of many research papers in bioengineering. The term “research paper” overwhelmed me at first. I am aware that I cannot cure cancer, treat heart disease, and come up with a new vaccine all in the span of three to five pages, but I am capable of learning and familiarizing myself with a topic of a more manageable size.

While finishing off my reading for psychology class, I came across a section of my textbook that explained the symptoms and treatments for Attention Deficit Disorder. I discovered that a common treatment, Ritalin, is not a suppressant, but a stimulant. If people with ADD/ADHD have brains that are hyperactive, then why do they take medication that will stimulate the brain? How does the stimulant suppress the over activity in their mind?

At the completion of that reading, I killed two birds with one stone: I finished my psychology reading for the week and I found a potential research topic for my paper!

My musical set of fingers:

Every time I place my piccolo in my hands, the keys feel like a natural extension of my fingers. The actions that are created by my hands are translated onto the tiny silver button beneath the pads of my fingers. After many years of playing this instrument, the keys of the piccolo have become my second set of hand joints.

Similar to the skeleton of a hand, the keys are attached to a joint on the rod. Each key can be moved individually and perform distinct movements. With 13 keys in total, there are countless of other pieces of metal that form the “skeleton” of the piccolo. A human hand has 5 fingers, but needs 27 bones to make up the structure and function of the hand. Who knew that a woodwind instrument is so similar to our own biological skeleton?