Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy


Final Device

Warning: Some content may not be suitable for those who are easily squemish.
Project Report Presentation Slides
For my Senior Design Project, I worked with a team to develop a novel device for treating gastrointestinal leaks using endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT). Traditional EVT is a tedious procedure prone to mistakes. The procedure typically takes about an hour and the device needs to be replaced every 3-4 days. Depending on the size of the injury, this results in anywhere from 2-14 procedures throughout the healing process. My team successfully developed a device which increased the replacement interval to over 7 days and decreased the procedure time to under 10 minutes while increasing the ease of operation of the procedure.

This project proved to be very challenging due to being a topic outside of my expertise. Throughout the project, I learned a lot about the medical field including how doctors prepare for and perform operations, differences in biocompatibility and biodegradability and their importance for medical device development, and the long and difficult path towards FDA approval. Additionally, I gained a lot of experience with sponges and gelatin. In the duration of the project, I learned about sponge synthesis methods and how to make medicinal capsules. I also improved my skills in developing and executing experiments. Finally, one of the most important things I learned was how to solve problems in a new and unfamiliar field. If I were to start this project again, the first thing I would do is to reach out extensively to experts in the field in order to develop my knowledge base. This was the most difficult part of the project, as in the beginning, my team’s lack of knowledge meant we did not know where to begin.



Final Poster Board
Final Prototype
Fall Prototype
First Major Test (Chicken Skin Tube)
Second Major Test (Esophagus Model)
Third Major Test (Pig Stomach)

Contact

aren40@gatech.edu
408-464-5891
Alex Ren | LinkedIn