Intubation Trainer

I am very excited to take part in the development of a 3D-Printed Respiratory System used to visualize the insertion of a fiberoptic scope for intubation. This model includes an anatomically relevant larynx, trachea, carina, and left and right main-stem bronchi.

For the initial prototype, I was charged with modeling the trachea and carina.

Currently, I am leading a team of engineers to further develop this model through the Engineering for Social Innovation course at CU Boulder. We have completed our initial design and competed in CU's New Venture Challenge, placing 3rd out of 150 teams!

Current Prototype Render

Rough Prototype

Initial CAD Rendering

Test Print

Initial Prototype

Rough Prototype

Background and Motivation

This project was created for the Design Intensive Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder by Dr. Virginia Ferguson and Murphy Anderson, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at Denver Health.

Murphy had developed a rough prototype to teach intubation using found materials from around the hospital. Intubation is the insertion of an artificial ventilation tube into the trachea that opens airways to give oxygen and help a person breathe. Intubation can be very difficult to learn, with current training mannequins costing upwards of $20,000.

Murphy's model was a start but not fully sufficient as the tubing has little anatomic relevancy and the transition between sections is not smooth.

For the program my partner Jose Martinez and I were charged with constructing an affordable and atomically relevant training tool for medical students to practice on.

Challenges

  • Distanced Communication:

    • Due to COVID-19 we were only able to meet with our client in face-to-face once. Meetings were scheduled over Zoom once a week to ask questions and provide updates.

  • Finding Consistent Measurements

    • There is a lot of data about the average length of the adult male trachea but few consistent sources on measurements such as diameter. Information about the carina and bronchial tubes was also very sparse. To get around this we as a team worked to find sources for each other's design responsibilities as well as checked in with the client before printing our model.

  • Material Choice

    • After speaking with numerous medical professionals, the importance of a material that matches the color, flexure, friction, and hardness of human tissue became a main priority. In order to choose the best material for the final design, the team has decided to complete three trachea prototypes using three different materials including Flexible 80A Resin and Digital Materials (primarily Agilus 30).

Initial Trachea Render (top) and First Iteration Print (bottom)

Current Design (top) and Left Half of the Larynx Assembly (bottom)

Results

Since the development of my initial prototype, I have assembled a team of engineers and together we have completed extensive rework of the design. Major design changes include the removal of the rigid outer shell, the removal of the alignment pins, and the addition of standard connectors. These changes address the manufacturability and design aesthetic concerns with the first design iteration.

Additionally, due to the complicated geometries and many features, the larynx model has been developed using MRI of a subject’s head and neck, and is modified to connect to the trachea assembly via PVC tubing.

Next Steps

In January 2020 the team began manufacturing and testing our current designs. Manufacturing is being completed using Flexible 80A Resin and Digital Materials. Testing was completed by registered medical professionals including CRNA's, nurses, and medical students. We gained some valuable feedback from these interactions and are ready to move our project to the next phase.

Due to IP concerns, we cannot show the final print, but we are excited to go through the patent process and look forward to when our product reaches the market.

Continuing, my team will work to improve the current model as well as create models for female, pediatric, and difficult airway patients. By the end of May 2021, we will have anatomically correct respiratory system training tools that mimic natural tissues and cartilage.

Initial Larynx Model (top) and Current Render (bottom)