Weekly Updates

Week 3

Our client, Dr. Chet Hammill, is a liver and pancreas surgeon. One of the surgeries he performs is the Whipple Procedure, or pancreaticoduodenectomy, in which the head of the pancreas, gallbladder, and duodenum are removed, and the digestive tract is reconnected. Currently, the pancreas and small intestine are connected via suturing. In the coming weeks, we plan to watch videos of the Whipple procedure and begin brainstorming potential changes to find another way to reconnect these two internal organs to minimize leakage. From our initial meetings with Dr. Hammill, we learned that several techniques (including duct to mucosa and invaginating anastomosis) have been used in the past to reconnect the pancreas, so we plan to look further into these methods. One initial idea for a solution is to design a stent-like device to reconnect the pancreas and intestine, but this is just the starting point. Finally, we plan to find more information on how we can test our device including, but not limited to, using biomimetic pancreas models.

Week 4

This week, we are researching the process of reattaching the pancreas to the small intestine during a pancreaticoduodenectomy. We are reading journal articles detailing the variety of methods that have been used in the past and watching videos of the procedure. We are also doing more research on the pancreas itself and what factors (ie. density, size, porosity) make it difficult to work with. Moving forward, we intend to do more research on the demographics of who undergoes the Whipple procedure with the desire to see if there are any factors we should consider when brainstorming a solution (ie. average age of patient).

Week 5

This week, we started outlining our first draft of our preliminary report, and we continued researching the procedure. From our previous research, we are formatting the information we have collected so far on the Whipple procedure to the variety of methods that have been used in the past. Moving forward, we intend to finalize our report and prepare for our upcoming presentation.

Week 6

This week, our group expanded our research as we worked on the preliminary report. We looked into what patents exist as long as current solutions relating to the scope of our project to learn more about the existing possibilities to minimize pancreatic leak. As part of our report, we put together Gantt charts and divided up responsibilities across our team for the project. Additionally, we contacted our client and received a biomimetic pancreas on which to test or prototype in the future.

Week 7

This week our group worked on our Preliminary Presentation, which is being delivered by Anurima Sharma. The whole group contributed to the slides and the presentation outline. We also reached out to Dr. Hammill to go take a look at the biomimetic he purchased so we can get a physical sense of the texture and density of the pancreas. Additionally, we also began reaching out to other surgeons in this field to deepen our understanding of the needs and limitation of this device. Finally, we began weighing our possible solution designs.

Week 8

This week we continued to reach out to other surgeons to learn more about the challenges they have reattaching the pancreas during the Whipple Procedure. We have begun brainstorming potential solutions based off of the information that we have gathered to this point. We worked on designing our webpage and putting in all of the relevant information.

Week 9

This week our group met to work on the website and discuss our game plan for the rest of the semester. We used wixsite for the website and have uploaded all our previous work. We are discussing the possible solutions that will be considered for our project. As a part of this, we are making a list and considering which design specs are most important. Additionally, we followed up with our client to keep him updated on our progress as well as asking for contacts that he may have to gain insight on our project.

Week 10

This week we further researched possible solutions for pancreatic fistula. Additionally, we set meetings with our client and other surgeons at the medical school to get feedback on the viability of our possible solutions. We also updated our Gantt chart to reflect the most accurate timeline.

Week 11

This week we discussed some of our possible ideas with our client, professor Klaesner, and other surgeons at the medical school to get feedback and help understand the feasibility of our ideas. Some of our main ideas include: a "joiner" or stent-like device of some type to help hold the organs in place, a method of removing leakage instead of preventing leakage from occurring, a glue or polymer solution that could help to adhere the tissues for use in conjunction with the current method, and an encapsulation device to sandwich the bile duct from the inside and out to maintain the connection. We are also considering the possibility of combining some of these ideas.

Week 12

This week we met with Professor Klaesner to review the initial draft of our Pugh chart. We continued to edit the chart and update it as needed based on our professor's advice, and we sent an updated version to our client for his feedback. Additionally, we started writing a draft of the progress report with the goal to finish the first draft early next week.

Week 13

No update for Thanksgiving break

Week 14

This week our group focused on the Progress Report. We spoke with Professor Klaesner, our client, and two other faculty at the medical school. They advised us on constructing our budget as well as which materials make the most sense for our different design solutions. Additionally, we started working on our slides for our presentation next week.

Week 14

Week 16

This week we met with Professor Klaesner to discuss what resources we are accessing for our project and to make sure we had all of our questions answered. Additionally, we discussed our budget and how we planned on using the biomimetic models for testing. We also met with Dr. Matt MacEwan to learn more about electrospinning and how to access the necessary materials in his lab.

Week 17

This week we revised our schedule for the semester and firmed up our roles for the prototyping and testing. We decided to apply for a design competition, assuming that we make enough progress toward developing a prototype before the design deadline, so we began writing the paper to submit for the competition. We acquired a metal rod to use for electrospinning, and we made plans to get the rod lathed after we finalize the spinning parameters. We also decided to order another larger rod to use for demonstration purposes on BME day.

Week 18

This week we worked on writing a proposal for a design competition. We also planned out how to get as much prototyping done before the submission deadline in order to have the best chances in the competition. Additionally, we are attempting to reschedule which a meeting which we were forced to cancel in order to begin electrospinning.

Week 19

This week we worked on the first phase of electrospinning our prototype. This involved working with Dr. MacEwan and Dr. Ying Yan to assemble the electrospinning equipment and the necessary solvents and polymers. Using the work of previous members of Dr. MacEwan's lab, we began to determine the flow rate and voltage to achieve sturdy fibers. The initial shape we are trying to spin is a 30cm long rod, 2cm in diameter.

Week 20

This week, we continued our work on finding the right settings for electrospinning. As part of this, we moved all of our materials to Dr. Spencer Lake's lab in order to use his electrospinner. This was done to give us more flexible hours for prototyping so that we don't have to go to the medical school campus to work. We also reached out to our client to meet with him next week to finalize the dimensions for our prototype.

Week 21

We received the stainless steel rod that we plan on spinning our polymer onto, and we arranged to have it lathed and cut to the exact dimensions necessary for our prototype and so that it will fit into the electrospinning machine. Our client cut our biomimetic model in two and sutured the pieces to simulate the surgery. We will be able to use these sewn pieces to verify our test method in the coming weeks. Additionally, we ordered a second model to use for testing our prototype. Finally, we began writing our V&V report.

Week 22

This week we primarily focussed on writing the V&V report, including designing verification and validation processes. We made our first prototype using the tapered rod that we ordered. From this, we learned that going forward we need to increase the thickness of the tube to ensure it is sturdy enough to prevent leakage and allow the surgeon to easily insert it into the body. Additionally, this validated the electrospinning process because we were able to make a tube of the desired dimensions and remove it from the stainless steel rod.

Week 23

This week we worked on the V&V presentation. We made plans and scheduled time for prototyping so that we can get right back into the project after Spring Break. The second prototype arrived in the mail, so we will be able to begin testing on schedule.

Week 24

No report due to Spring Break

Week 25

This week we worked on constructing a working prototype. We have come very close to spinning a fully sealed tube- one with only a few minor holes in it. We are planning on spinning again over the weekend to hopefully get a fully functional prototype. With these materials, we are beginning our testing to show that the material will remain intact when exposed to an enzymatic fluid for 2 weeks, the time it takes for the anastomosis to heal. While we hope that the fluid will only flow through the center of the tube in the body, we will submerge it because we believe this is a more rigorous test with complete exposure to the fluid.

Week 26

This week, we completed an additional prototype to use for testing in our biomimetic model. We also had our client suture the tube into the second biomimetic model which we will use to ensure that the anastomosis is fully sealed off. We began the first rounds of testing on our prototypes, and we're almost a week into the test to ensure that the tube will last more than 2 weeks before it begins to biodegrade.

Week 27

This week we continued testing our prototype as well as received feedback from our client. Based on feedback we aim to make a new prototype that is slightly stiffer so it is easier to sow into the pancreatic juncture.

Week 28

This week we used a hair dryer to harden our next prototype of the tube. We gave the hardened tube to Dr. Hammill to suture into the biomimetic model. This weekend we will be able to use the newly sutured model to complete more validation and verification testing. We also began outlining our final paper and presentation as well as planned out what models we would like to have at BME Day. Finally, we met with Professor Klaesner to review all the aforementioned steps and ensure we are on the right path.