Neonatal CPAP Breathing Apparatus Design Andrea Holland Mindy

Neonatal CPAP Breathing Apparatus Design Andrea Holland Mindy Leelawong Sponsor: Bill Walsh, MD Friday, January 30, 2004

Project Overview • Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) breathing apparatus • Assists respiration by forcing air at a pressure ranging from 4 -8 cm. H 2 O • Primarily used for infant apnea • 400, 000 infants benefit from this device annually

Problem • Nosepiece causes ulceration and contusions to the delicate skin of the nasal area.

Objectives • Analyze the applied force of the device on the nasal area. • Propose new device http: //www. eme-med. co. uk/products-neo-infant_flow. asp

Work Completed • Obtained device • Researched similar designs • Investigated methods to quantitatively measure pressure – Pressure sensitive dye – Pressure sensitive pad used in gait analysis

Current Work • Modification of pressure sensitive materials like clay for the representation of an infant face. http: //www. nichemedical. com. au/web/neo_paed. html

Future Work • February 2004 – Design changes to current device – Model of prototype • March – Development of prototype • Design of functional model, if possible • April – Compile and present design poster and final results

Complications • Our sponsor, Dr. Walsh, has been increasingly difficult to maintain constant contact due to the move to the new Children’s Hospital. • This has also inconvenienced our ability to test our model in real environments. • Pressure sensitive devices are not easily mobile. http: //www. vanderbilt. edu

Acknowledgements • Dr. Bill Walsh • Shirley Carpenter

Questions?