2023 COES Design and Research Conference

Modified Internal Pelvic Fixator Pedicle Screw

Team Members: John Daigre, Jeanne Dugas, Hannah Folse, Felicity Watkins

Sponsor: Dr. Giovanni Solitro, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport

Advisor: Dr. Bryant Hollins

Internal pelvic fixators (InFix) are used to treat open-book pelvic fractures, a life-threatening phenomenon usually caused by car accidents. Pelvic fractures are expected to affect more than three million people each year by 2025. This project focuses on redesigning a pedicle screw for internal pelvic fixator surgery to address the limitations of the current system. Not all patients require the device to be at the same depth and angle, and it currently cannot be changed once implanted. This device will allow more adjustability to the angle and distance of the system during surgeries. This adjustability will allow more patients to be treated without experiencing further health complications from a life-saving device.

Vitality Health System

Team Members: Benjamin Butter, Ethan Coker, Connor Haskins, Matthew LeBlanc

Sponsor: Dr. Randy Aldret, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Louisiana

Advisor: Dr. Steven Jones

The WHO and CDC estimate 11,000 annual deaths and hospitalizations attributed to heat-related illness. Those in physically demanding jobs, such as blue-collar or construction work, are especially at risk. Modern tools, such as wet bulb globe temperature thermometers, are used to define workplace policies that reduce incidences of hyperthermia, but these policies overgeneralize the worker-to-worker differences in aspects like core temperature. The Vitality Health System (VHS) is a wearable device that monitors core temperature and environmental factors related to hyperthermia in hot and humid environments to assess the risk of heat-related illness on a patient-by-patient basis and provide feedback to alert the user of their current health state. VHS is designed to be attached to hard hats and used by laborers (linemen and construction workers) but can be adapted to other areas such as sports.

Debris Ejecting Kerrison Rongeur

Team Members: Ivy Dugas, Tyler O’Con, Allie Smith, Sofia Urbina

Sponsor: Dr. Jamie Toms, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport

Advisor: Dr. Teresa Murray

Kerrison rongeurs are used by neurosurgeons to bite and remove small bone fragments from the skull and vertebral column. After each bite, the device must be cleaned manually by medical personnel before it can be used again. Manual cleaning may include the removal of debris such as bone fragments and tissue by hand. In this project, we aim to redesign the Kerrison rongeur by adding a self-cleaning mechanism that increases debris removal efficiency to decrease the tedious effort required from surgeons and other medical staff.

Break

Retrieval of Large Polyps (ROLPs) Device

Team Members: Grace Cain, Adam Elsner, Elisha Olagbami, Bethany Williams

Sponsor: Dr. Leonel Lacayo, MD

Advisor: Dr. Louis Reis

Around 15 million colonoscopies are performed each year in the United States to find and remove small clumps of cells, called polyps, from the colon. Roughly 40 percent of polyps found during colonoscopies are too large to be removed without increasing the time and risks for the procedure. The ROLPs device compresses polyps after they have been cut from the colon wall. The device is designed to pull polyps through the colonoscope so that the colonoscope does not have to be pulled out of the patient and reinserted for each polyp. Pulling the polyps through the colonoscope decreases the amount of time it takes to retrieve the polyp and increases the success rate for retrieving the entire polyp.

The Adult QUE Aromatherapy Necklace

Team Members: Gifford Courtney, Tyler Hight, Camryn Petrus, Daniel Prado

Sponsor: Dr. Cindy Bimle, MD

Advisor: Dr. Louis Reis

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health disorders in the United States. More than 30 percent of the population experiences these disorders at least once in their lifetime. The QUE Aromatherapy Necklace is a device that releases a calming scent in response to an increased heart rate. The scent release relieves anxiety symptoms by triggering the connection between the limbic system and the olfactory bulb.

Que Aromatherapy Necklace for Children with Attentional Issues

Team Members: Alyssa Miller, Kinslee Spatafora, Melanie Tircuit

Sponsor: Dr. Cindy Bimle, MD

Advisor: Dr. Louis Reis

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 62 percent of children from the ages of 2 to 17 that are diagnosed with ADHD take prescription medication. These medications can cause undesirable side effects that can affect children into their adult lives. The Que Aroma Therapy device is being proposed as an alternative treatment that will offer a therapeutic option to help attentional disorders support positive behaviors and discourage negative behaviors. The aromas will be provided by separated scent chambers that include user-associated negative and positive scents. The device will be remote-controlled by a guardian, educator, or therapist. Additionally, the positive scent will be a “que” to continue a specific behavior on a constant interval. The negative scent will be released through a remote control to help redirect unwanted behaviors. The Que Aroma Therapy device will help decrease stress in children and avoid the undesirable side effects that the current treatment offers.

Feedback Session with Advisory Board