Executive Summary

Neonatal PALL team has been contracted to provide a solution to the problem of monitoring infant respiration while mechanically aided by a high frequency ventilator.  The task has been commissioned by Dr. Charles Palmer of Hershey Medical Center (HMC) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  Currently, determination of the ventilator’s functionality is based on intermittent blood gas measurements.  Real-time, active monitoring of each breath on each lung is desired.  Specific objectives have been set forth.  Among the most important include size, portability, and interference with existing diagnostic equipment.

The objectives of this project set forth both by Dr. Palmer and the Neonatal PALL team include: the chest movement sensor must have a small surface area and weight, be portable, have a low re-calibration time and be as simple as possible.  These five objectives were the basis for four design concepts.  Then, a decision matrix was developed, encompassing these objectives, in order to assist Neonatal PALL in choosing the most appropriate design for this assignment. 

Using the decision matrix, an accelerometer design concept was chosen to be used as the chest movement sensor for this project.  Following this decision, SolidWorks drawings were developed to represent how this system would integrate into existing vital sign monitoring equipment.  Next, an analysis on this design process was completed as well as a plan for manufacturing of the final product.  Furthermore, three test procedures were developed in order to test and verify the accelerometers.  Initial testing followed by a plastic lung test were conducted to correlate the accelerometer output to the ventilator input.  With success for the first two tests, the accelerometer will be tested on a new born patient on a high frequency oscillator.

Thanks to our faculty coach, Dr. Mary Frecker.

Thanks to our corporate supporters, including:

DATAQ Instruments data loggers