Design of an Automatic Jackson-Pratt Drain Auxiliary System for Postoperative Management Applications.

Background: After surgery, the exudation at a surgical site can cause complications and infections. The exudation is periodically removed through a Jackson-Pratt (JP) drain while maintaining a negative pressure in the JP bulb. However, the JP drainage tube may be clogged due to blood clotting. Thus, the periodic management of the JP drain is essential. In particular, the postoperative management of the JP drain includes squeezing and stripping it. In this study, we proposed a JP drain auxiliary system that can perform automatic stripping to assist specialists and nurses. Methodology: The proposed system was designed based on pre-experimental measurements and operated as a gripping and rolling device. Experimental Results: Twenty experiments were performed, and an average stripping efficiency of 93.8% was obtained. Conclusions: Consequently, we think that the proposed auxiliary system can automatically contribute to increase working efficiency for specialists and nurses.

Design of the Optical Dual-Band Filter for Emission of Dual Fluorescein Through the Irradiation of Single Optical Source.

In this study, a dual-band band-pass filter (BPF) is designed to separate the dual-wavelength emissions of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and fluorescence sodium (yellow dye). The dual-band BPF was investigated experimentally to improve its accuracy, speed, and energy efficiency in clinical settings. The possibility of dual fluorescence emissions with a single irradiation is proposed, which saves energy by producing 2 fluorescence diagnostic effects using a single piece of equipment.

Smart syringe using actuator and force sensor for epidural anesthesia injection.

The anesthesia process in the epidural space is quite difficult as it requires a high level of skill. Therefore, a medical accident occurs, and intensive training is required. In order to reduce these medical accidents, medical technology is being developed, which provides safe and accurate treatment services. This paper proposes a smart syringe design for safe and accurate anesthesia in the epidural space. The smart syringe is designed to measure the electrical sensing waveform by using a sensor instead of the sense of the hand during anesthesia and show the position of the needle through external monitoring. To design a smart syringe, a force sensor, actuator, and CPU were used, and a 3D printer was used to produce the outer shape. An animal test was conducted to evaluate the performance test of the smart syringe, and satisfactory results were obtained by measuring the needle insertion process of the smart syringe and the position of the needle through the animal experiment.

NIR Irradiation Based on Low-Power LED Drive Module Design for Fat Reduction.

In this study, we designed a low-power visible ray (V) drive module based on a light-emitting diode (LED) to initiate fat reduction using light source irradiation. A chemical phantom of muscle and fat was fabricated, and the performance of the proposed LED drive module was tested using this chemical phantom. The LED light source could reduce fat by irradiating the skin 4-5 cm deep. The device exhibits a negative feedback and parallel amplification to maintain a stable circuit based on low-power consumption. Muscles have a high-water content and low impedance, whereas fats have a low water content and significant salt content. Therefore, fat exhibits high impedance. Chemical phantoms were fabricated according to these impedance values, and the fat reduction effect using the LED circuits was analyzed. When the fat phantom was irradiated by the light source, the fat impedance lowered, and we confirmed that fat reduction could be obtained. This study is expected to be applicable to family medicine and weight management health care.

Design of Automatic Hand Sanitizer System Compatible with Various Containers.

OBJECTIVE: Demand for hand sanitizers has surged since the coronavirus broke out and spread around the world. Hand sanitizers are usually applied by squirting the sanitizer liquid when one presses a pump with one's hand. This causes many people to come into contact with the pump handle, which increases the risk of viral transmission. Some hand sanitizers on the market are automatically pumped. However, because sanitizer containers and pump devices are designed to be compatible only between products produced by the same manufacturer, consumers must also repurchase the container for the liquid if they replace the hand sanitizer. Therefore, this paper suggests the design of an automatic hand sanitizer system compatible with various sanitizer containers. METHODS: An automatic hand sanitizer system was designed, which will be presented in two stages describing the instrument structure and control parts. This work focused on using the elasticity of pumps and improving people's access to devices. RESULTS: We have designed an automatic hand sanitizer system that is compatible with various containers. When one moves one's hand close to the device sensor, the hand sanitizer container is pumped once. CONCLUSION: The automatic hand sanitizer device proposed in this paper is ultimately expected to contribute to contactless hand disinfection in public places and virus infection prevention. Additionally, it is economical and eco-friendly by decreasing waste emissions.

A design of brain port with a built-in bi-directional check valve improves the ventriculostomy.

The increase of intracranial pressure is a life-threatening condition which requires urgent treatment to prevent the further neurologic problem. A design of the brain port is proposed, in which a bi-directional check valve controls the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid depending on the intracranial pressure in accordance with the other devices. Drug administration and cerebrospinal fluid drainage could be performed easily without any additional surgery other than the transplant of a brain port. The intracranial pressure value at which the cerebrospinal fluid should be drained is adjustable by altering the pressure of the drainage bag. The results of the experiment with the simulated brain system are supporting and verifying the substance of this article.