Vanderbilt University Department of Biomedical Engineering Fetal Stabilizer Design Mentor: Dr. Joseph Bruner, M.D. By Pankaj Desai Sandhya Mani Also with Faizel Kassam & Thomas Hughes

Spinabifida ? ? ? Most frequently occurring permanently disabling birth defect in the U.S. affects 4000 pregnancies/year in the U.S. What is it? –Results from failure of spine to close during 1st month of pregnancy –most common neural tube defect Results –bowel and bladder complications –possible loss of muscle control beneath lesion –obesity –skin breakdown –Hydrocephalus shunt

Fetal Surgery

Risks/”No Guarantees” of Procedure –premature delivery –possible damage Effect of Tool –29 open fetal repairs completed (01/08/99) –18 states & British Columbia –reduce clutter in surgical field –sterile positioning of fetus

Tool Specifications Targeted Age Group Exact Dimensions –limited to 20cm in length –width of fetus at position: 9cm Physical Properties –light-weight –Material Selection –Flexible yet Sturdy –easy to clean

Actual Design & Implementation Codman Engineering –why??? AutoCad Drawing –3-Dimensional Picture Extrapolation Piece by piece design –Printing Problems –Exact Dimensions –Different View Points

Final Design

Other Views Side and Top Views

Future Goals Video Clip Working Prototype Additional Links