PneumoTreat: Pneumothorax Treatment Device for Emergency Personnel
Pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung, is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in combat, occurring in about 20% trauma patients. Penetrating chest traumas such as gunshot wounds or stabbings can result in open pneumothorax (a sucking hole in the chest) and lead to a potentially lethal tension pneumothorax.
The current state-of-the art treatment involves two steps: a fast needle decompression of the thorax, which provides immediate relief but, mandates an immediate follow up by a tube thoracostomy. Paramedics are only trained to perform the first step, but the tube thoracostomy requires a physician to be present due to the complicated nature of the procedure.
Forceps and fingers are currently the only mechanisms used to perform this tricky procedure.
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First-year residents are usually trained in chest tube drainage protocols, and reaching the pleural space via incision is not a complicated procedure, which means it can be easily substituted by a device that can perform a straightforward dissection. Our team of four engineering students needed to find a solution to replace the role of a physician in a chest tube drainage. In other words, we had to devise a way for paramedics to make a large incision and perform a tissue dissection to enter the pleural space, while keeping their level of medical training in mind.
Since pneumothorax is a highly time-sensitive condition, the most critical design specification was to be able to treat patients in less time than it would take them to be transported to a hospital. In emergency cases like these, especially in military combat, we learned from interviews that the ultimate goal is to save the patient’s life by any means necessary, and that may result in higher-risk emergency procedures.
Our solution is a device that provides emergency pneumothorax treatment on a the combat field rather than delayed treatment in an expensive hospital setting for military personnel and other emergency pneumothorax patients who require immediate treatment. This device does this by providing an easy way to perform a quick tissue dissection so that chest drainage tube can be inserted.
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The current state-of-the art treatment involves two steps: a fast needle decompression of the thorax, which provides immediate relief but, mandates an immediate follow up by a tube thoracostomy. Paramedics are only trained to perform the first step, but the tube thoracostomy requires a physician to be present due to the complicated nature of the procedure.
Forceps and fingers are currently the only mechanisms used to perform this tricky procedure.
First-year residents are usually trained in chest tube drainage protocols, and reaching the pleural space via incision is not a complicated procedure, which means it can be easily substituted by a device that can perform a straightforward dissection. Our team of four engineering students needed to find a solution to replace the role of a physician in a chest tube drainage. In other words, we had to devise a way for paramedics to make a large incision and perform a tissue dissection to enter the pleural space, while keeping their level of medical training in mind.
Since pneumothorax is a highly time-sensitive condition, the most critical design specification was to be able to treat patients in less time than it would take them to be transported to a hospital. In emergency cases like these, especially in military combat, we learned from interviews that the ultimate goal is to save the patient’s life by any means necessary, and that may result in higher-risk emergency procedures.
Our solution is a device that provides emergency pneumothorax treatment on a the combat field rather than delayed treatment in an expensive hospital setting for military personnel and other emergency pneumothorax patients who require immediate treatment. This device does this by providing an easy way to perform a quick tissue dissection so that chest drainage tube can be inserted.
