Blog Post 6 - GE

Author: Gordon Ellis

Date: October 20, 2019

Group Members: Adin Field, Gordon Ellis, Jordon Bibian, Anagha Arvind

Blog Contents:

1) Sterilization and Cleaning

2) Initial Operating Manual

3) Interviews

Earlier in the week, the group met to narrow down how specifically our product will be used, to work on and prepare for the upcoming Design Review II presentation, and to decide a time to begin construction of our looks-like models.

1) Sterilization and Cleaning

As the main component of our product, a vitals monitor, will be primarily used in the operating room where a sterile environment is imperative for avoiding infections and other complications, our product must be able to be sterilized using at least one of the sterilization methods outlined in lecture while also discouraging growth of bacteria on its components. To do so, naturally antimicrobial materials like copper or copper alloys could be used to coat the surface of our monitor, and the physical design itself of the monitor should avoid grooves or corners that could present an appealing growth environment for bacteria. Some applicable sterilization methods could use ethylene oxide, alcohols, or ultraviolet radiation to sterilize the product’s surface while having a plastic or copper surface would make cleaning the product easier. Regarding the delivery of ketamine, since it will be injected directly into muscle, disposable syringes could be used to help mitigate the risk of infection while the ketamine bottles that the syringes will be drawing from would need to kept in a sterile place as well. The monitor should also be waterproof so that sterilization or cleaning of the electronic components with fluids or gases will not lead to any potential damage to the device's functionality.

2) Initial Instructions / Operating Manual

(tentative; very likely to change as the product becomes further developed)

Updated design of monitor's front

Other views of the monitor

Pre-operation

Power on the monitor, and the home menu will appear on the monitor. Press the number on the keypad that corresponds to the icon labeled “Pre-operation,” and interview the patient to fill in the patient’s relevant medical history and information such as sex, weight, and age on the monitor. The questions that should be asked should be about any medical problems, allergies, recent hear attacks, lung and heart sounds heard, family history of anesthesia problems, height, and weight in addition to giving a physical examination and airway examination.

Once filled, press the key for “Done” as indicated on the screen. This will take you to a screen that will show you recommended dosage amounts, dosage intervals, and certain risks or factors to be aware of based on the inputted information. Next, connect the patient to the equipment used for measurements. Once connected, press the button for “Test Diagnostics” that will be indicated on the screen in order to verify the monitor is receiving the patient’s vital information correctly. Once the equipment has been checked, press the button labeled “Begin Procedure.”

During operation

Once the procedure is started, the device will measure the patient’s various biological metrics and will have an LED light indicating the patient’s status: green for in good condition; yellow for needs attention; and red for in critical condition, needs immediate action. The device’s speaker will play a different alarm for yellow and red statuses to ensure the user will notice as quickly as possible. Depending on the patient’s condition, the device will recommend a certain dosage or action to mitigate the predicted problem. If the patient’s conditions are still critical after performing the recommended action, you can press the button for “Next Recommendation” that can provide multiple alternative recommendations to try until the patient’s condition returns to normal. Once the surgery is finished, the monitor will continue to take patient measurements and guide the user until the patient is awake.

Post-Operation

After the patient is awake, press the key corresponding to the button labeled “Finish Procedure,” and the monitor will return to the home menu. You may now turn off the device and clean/sanitize the monitor and its diagnostic components.

3) Interviews

Due to timing conflicts, no further interviews were able to be completed this week. However, additional stakeholders are still being sought, and more interviews should be scheduled sometime in the upcoming week.