SPC Aide: Suprapubic Catheterization Placement Device

• Abdel Bileomon
• Kevine Boutcheko
• Mateusz Drozd
• Khyati Chauhan Singh

Advisor: Miiri Kotche, Phd, Anthony E. Felder, Phd

Sponsor: Michael J. Young

Suprapubic catheterization (SPC) is bladder drainage completed by locating the bladder using an ultrasound transducer and then inserting a catheter into the bladder through the lower abdomen. The procedure is considered “blind” because the transducer is removed after the bladder has been located, and the actual needle placement is performed without image guidance. If the needle misses the bladder it may puncture surrounding organs. We aim to provide accurate guidance of the needle into the bladder of patients undergoing this procedure to decrease the risk of injury or death. Our objective is to design a system incorporating bladder scanning technology supported by mechanical properties, and software to facilitate accurate guidance of the needle into the bladder. The SPC Aide stabilizes the transducer to provide uninterrupted visualization of the bladder throughout the procedure and supports the needle as it enters the abdomen. Our device determines the position of the transducer, calculates the optimal trajectory of the needle-insertion tube, and then moves it to that angle. A sensor determines the position of the transducer and the clinician enters the distance between the abdominal surface and the center of the bladder from the ultrasound screen into the SPC Aide. The required angle of the needle tube is calculated, and servos move the needle tube to the correct position. The physical attributes of the device include its adhesive wings and a curved base for support and conformity to any abdominal surface. Slits in the needle-insertion tube enable the clinician to remove the device once SPC is completed. Our validation testing included verifying the resolution of the servos, and the accuracy of the device in targeting a point at a specific target distance with the transducer at different positions.

See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.