Development of a Pullback Device for Intravascular Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Catheter Imaging

Introduction – Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world with one in three succumbing to the disease. The most common cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease, caused by atherosclerosis resulting in a build-up of plaque within the arteries. This plaque can progress into a vulnerable plaque, which has been...

The design of a friction-based tissue transportation mechanism for Minimally Invasive Surgery

The surgical procedure of tissue extraction from the human body for precautionary or curative measures is common in many medical fields. Currently, aspiration catheters are the golden standard, enabling removal by means of a suction force. By Sakes et al., an alternative mechanism is proposed, transporting tissue based on friction, inspired by...

Design of the Biopsy Containuer: The development and evaluation of an endoscopic biopsy storage instrument

Background: Colonoscopy is a successful screening method to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC). Biopsies are performed from suspicious tissue spots during the colonoscopic procedure to find cancerous polyps in an early stage of the disease. However, taking multiple biopsies is rather time-consuming and requires many repetitious actions from the...

Design and validation of an implantable actuator for use in a novel dynamic arteriovenous shunt system

Millions of people around the world rely on kidney dialysis to replace the essential function of their kidneys. In order to receive dialysis, adequate access to the circulation is needed. The golden standard, the Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF), hasn’t really changed since the 1940’s and comes with disappointing patency and reintervention rates....

Medical Device Development in Living Labs, a case study

When in 2008 the financial crisis set it in Europe, consequences for the healthcare systems were inevitable (Parmar, Stavropoulou, & Ioannidis, 2016). Health budgets were reduced, and since the beginning of the crisis, 1.5 million additional people in Europe have had an unmet need for healthcare (A. Reeves, McKee, & Stuckler, 2015). A...

Optimising the Design of a Medical Device Intended for Use in Low- and Middle Income Countries

Introduction: Smart Medics Company is a startup from the Delft University of Technology, looking to bring an affordable Video laryngoscope (VL) into hospitals in low-resource regions. This research aims to seek the best suitable transparent material to act as a lens, sealing off a compartment containing an endoscope, as well as, bring forth a...

Foxpat: Training simulator for Cementless Oxford Partial Knee Replacement

The learning curve of novice surgeons takes about 25 surgeries to be proficient at the knee replacement procedure. So it is not just enough if we design efficient and more ergonomic surgical tools, it is also important to provide a learning platform for them to get better before they operate on a real patient. Although many training simulators...

The Design of a Compact Angular Drilling Device for Medical Application

The technology used in health care is one of the fastest developing fields in Precision Engineering. The main focus in this field is on the development of steerable, small dimensioned instruments. Using these, surgeries can be done with minimal damage to the patient, shorter hospital stay and more aesthetical healing.<br/>From the medical field...

Design and Evaluation of the Epsilon Catheter: Single-Handed Control of a Five Degrees of Freedom Multi-Steerable Heart Catheter

Objectives – Over the past decades, more and more cardiac diseases have been treated in interventional cardiology. Catheters are generally used to access the heart through the blood vessels. The previously developed steerable Sigma catheter at Delft University of Technology, tackles cable related challenges of conventional mechanically...