Translucent and Opaque dome covers simulate skin and accurately recreate ultrasound probe interface with skin. Translucent for training, and opaque for testing without view of fetus and placenta models.
Ultrasound Trainer
Bringing First World Training in Maternal Care to Rural Guatemala
September 2014 - present
As part of my BME Capstone Design course at Northwestern, I worked in a group with three other senior biomedical engineering students students to improve on the design for a low-cost, fetal ultrasound simulator for use in the developing world. Our client, Dr. Oh, encouraged us to develop a device that outshone its more expensive competitors used in the medical training industry.
Problem
In rural Guatemala, maternal care is conducted by a community of midwives who often lack formal medical training. These midwives have been a part of Guatemalan society since pre-colonial times, and are well respected in indigenous communities. However, their unfamiliarity with western maternal care practices, including ultrasound, prevents midwives from diagnosing more serious live threatening birthing complications like placenta previa. Fetal ultrasound has a steep learning curve, and even those communities that have ultrasound devices donated to them often cannot use or learn to use these devices without outside training.
According to the WHO "of the nearly 600,000 women who die each year due to pregnancy related causes, over 99% live in developing countries."
Goal
Our goal is to design a cost effective obstetric ultrasound phantom that teaches the relationship between probe orientation, ultrasound image and fetal presentation; and allows trainees to practice realistic techniques and test their skills.
We will design a device that:
Process
Is long lasting, and requires no regular maintenence
Can be taken apart and put back together with ease
Acts as an effective trainer for obstetric ultrasound
Reduces air interference without compromising scanning surface
Has both training and testing modes
Ensures proper ultrasound probe contact along its surface
Allows trainees to determine the age of the simulated fetus
Allows trainees to visualize and locate the edge of the placenta
Final Design
 Materials SelectionWe researched and carefully selected the material composition of every component in the device. This ensured that each component had acoustic properties that approximated ultrasound scanning of the corresponding living tissue |  Dimensioned SketchingI was responsible for drawing up dimensioned sketches of our design direction to begin turning concept into reality |  Machine FabricationI fabricated many complex parts using with guidance from experts at the Ford Engineering Design Shop. |  Complex MoldingI learned many advanced molding and casting techniques in order to fabricate softer components for the simulator |
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