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To create a syringe modification capable of creating enough pressure to dispense a ten milliliter syringe filled with viscous polymethacrylate (PMMA) into the vertebrate of the spinal cord. The device must be hand held, and not interfere with the current procedure. Vertebroplasty is a procedure that potentially alleviates the pain of spinal vertebrate fractures. These fractures often result from advanced osteoporosis or prolonged steroid use. In order to stabilize the fracture, bone cement composed of polymethacrylate (PMMA) is injected deep into the bone. The polymer is quite viscous and is difficult to dispense through a syringe. The current procedure involves the use of one milliliter syringes in order to generate adequate pressure. The procedure often requires up to eight of these syringes to be used. The vapors from the monomer solvent are quite noxious and present difficulty to the physician when filling the syringe. A device that would create enough mechanical advantage to dispense a ten milliliter syringe at one time would greatly improve the current procedure. The device must be easy to hold and be capable of generating discrete amounts of pressure. The device should be of a shape and size that facilitates the current procedure, should be easy to transport, and comply with sterility requirements. The device is a syringe modification system capable of being attached on a ten milliliter syringe and generating enough pressure to dispense a ten milliliter syringe containing PMMA.
After running into money problems for our original design, which would have been interfacable with the clients battery powered screwdriver, we resorted to purchasing an electric linear actuator. Construction of the prototype has been completed, and the final paper has been written. 
| Week | Reporting Period Beginning | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 24 | Meet Client |
| 2 | January 31 | Develope PDS |
| 3 | February 7 | Research |
| 4 | February 14 | Brainstorm |
| 5 | February 21 | Develope Presentation (Started new Project) |
| 6 | February 28 | Synthesize and Write Report |
| 7 | March 7 | Finish Report |
| 8 | March 14 | Spring Break |
| 9 | March 21 | Develope Technical Specifications |
| 10 | March 28 | Finish Final Design |
| 11 | April 4 | Develope Plan for construction |
| 12 | April 11 | Build Device |
| 13 | April 18 | Build Device |
| 14 | April 25 | Test Device |
| 15 | May 2 | Final Presentation |
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mid-semester presentation (Mar 6 2003, 1589 kb) |
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mid-semester report (Mar 14 2003, 346 kb) |
|
Final Paper and part 1 of Appendix (May 6 2003, 782 kb) |
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part 2 of Appendix (May 6 2003, 15212 kb) |
