-Archive from the Spring 2002 semester.
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During radiologic procedures to examine the lower spine, patients must, often times, lay face-down on a narrow X-ray table for up to an hour. In order to facilitate a clear view of the lower spinal region, patients are required to elevate their arms above their head (i.e.- so that they are resting their head on their hands). In most individuals, this does not present a problem. However, particularly in elderly patients, holding an uncomfortable position such as this for an hour can be painful, if not impossible. In these cases, having removable arm supports that could attach to the table, upon which patients could comfortably rest their arms, would be advantageous. This would allow for maximum patient comfort, while, at the same time, maintaining the integrity of the X-ray image. The goal of our project is to develop a system such as this.
The design concept that we settled on involves a system anchored in place via two plastic pieces fitted between the X-ray table and the pad covering it. At the end of each plastic piece, a small area will be cut out, such that a small "rod" (parallel to the edge of the table) will be formed. Around this rod, a piece of fabric will be sewn. This first piece of fabric will serve to connect the plastic slab that is under the patient to another plastic piece. The function of this second plastic piece will be to act as a joint, connecting the upper part of the system to a second, longer, piece of fabric. The second piece of fabric will be the piece of the device that actually holds the patient's arm. A portion of the front side of this piece of fabric will be covered with loop Velcro, and a portion of the back side covered with hook Velcro. This piece will wrap around the patient's arm, back through the slot formed by the second piece of plastic, and the two types of velcro will be joined to secure the patient's arm comfortably in place.
The design team met with Dr. Tuite on Friday, May 3 to unveil the prototype. Dr. Tuite was quite pleased with the result. Some possible future modifications were discussed, as were plans to make a second device (since two are needed for clinical use). The team submitted its final report and presented its semester's worth of work on this project on Friday, May 10. The team met with an intellectual property manager at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) on Monday, May 13 to discuss getting a patent for the product. A committee at WARF will vote on whether or not to patent the product sometime in mid-June, at which point the team will be notified of the committee's decision. Regardless, a second prototype will be built for Dr. Tuite over the summer.
Picture of proposed design (8k)
Prototype testing (195k)
"Patient" demonstrating prototype (191k)
Design dimensions - Plastic pieces
Page 1 (165k)
Page 2 (155k)
Design dimensions - Fabric pieces
Page 1 (32k)
Product Design Specification (PDS) (15k)
February 1-February 22- Research, brainstorm design ideas, and develop Product Design Specification (PDS)
February 15-March 22- Finalize project solution, develop PDS, prepare mid-semester presentation and written report
March 15 - Mid-semester presentation
March 23-March 31 - Spring Break
April 1-April 12 - Obtain raw materials needed for prototype
April 13-April 26 - Build and test prototype
April 26-May 10 - Prepare final poster presentation and written report
May 3 - Present prototype to client
May 10 - Final poster presentation
May 11 - Final meeting with advisor
The mid-semester presentation for this project was given on Friday, March 15. Click on the links below to see a copy of the paper submitted and of the PowerPoint presentation given.
Mid-semester report (789k)
Mid-semester presentation with video animation (1107k)
The final presentation was given on Friday, May 10. Click on the following links to view the paper and presentation.
Final report (1,473k)
Final presentation (1,936k)
Matt Harris - mjharris2@students.wisc.edu
Luke Harris - lukeharris@students.wisc.edu
Brandon Verdoorn - bpverdoorn@students.wisc.edu
Andrea Rozmenoski - alrozmenoski@students.wisc.edu
Paul Thompson - paulthompson@att.net
Dr. Michael Tuite, UW Hospital, Department of Radiology - mjtuite@facstaff.wisc.edu
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