Team Name
Sim Breathe Repeat
Timeline
Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
Students
- David Gomez
- Elisabeth Paige Harris
- Kyle Henry
- Maicol Zayas Melendez
- Ethan Sprinkle
Sponsor
UTA Smart Hospital
Abstract
The Breathe Easy Sim is designed to provide a solution for the UTA SMART Hospital’s need for a medical ventilator simulator that is compatible with the hospital’s smart manikin air bladders that allow the manikins to “breathe.” Currently, the ventilators being used by the hospital provide too much airflow to the smart manikins, causing the internal air bladders to rupture. Furthermore, while medical simulation devices exist, there is no ventilator simulator technology available on the market. The Breathe Easy Sim will provide reduced and controlled airflow capability so as not to rupture the manikin’s air bladder. Additionally, the Breathe Easy Sim will be equipped with simulation software to provide as close an experience as possible to a real medical environment. Other features, such as alarm tones, control dials, buttons, and health diagnostic outputs, will also be simulated to heighten the medical experience.
Background
Out of the several medical simulation devices that are available on the market for training and education, there are currently no simulators that provide similar functionality to a medical ventilator. Our objective was to create a simulation ventilator that provided the user with as close an experience as possible to the real ventilators used by UTA’s SMART Hospital, while still maintaining the integrity of the manikin bladders. It is imperative for student’s training experience that the look, feel, and use of the Breathe Easy Sim is a realistic as possible so that the experience can be easily transferred to a medical ventilator in field.
Project Requirements
- The Breathe Easy Sim is expected to be used in simulation scenarios in the UTA SMART Hospital by
UTA nursing students and UTA faculty on the mannequins in the SMART Hospital. - The project should emulate a ventilator in physical appearance, software functionality, and airflow capability to be compatibile with the SMART Hospital manikins.
- In addition to the Breathe Easy Sim project, CAD files, source code, and a User Manual will be presented to the customer as part of the final deliverables.
System Overview
The appearance of the Breathe Easy Sim was designed to closely resemble that of a real medical ventilator, complete with touchscreen, control dials, alarms, locking casters, and tubing hookups. The main body of ventilator is made of aluminum sheet metal attached to an extruded aluminum base. The design was intended to provide the user with a lightweight product that is easy to transport and install, while maintaining durability in a hospital environment.
The interior pump mechanism provides controlled positive and negative air pressure to the manikin that can be easily adjusted to the manikin’s bladder size (patent applied for).
The software environment was created to provide a realistic simulation of ventilator software, featuring patient diagnostic information, adjustable ventilator settings, and alarm notification. The software is integrated with an embedded controller to monitor the health of the pump mechanism and seamlessly interfaces with the touchscreen monitor.
Results
- Modular and lightweight design provides ease of transportation and on-site installation.
- 95% of the interior pump mechanism is 3D printed, supplying the user with quick replacement of parts.
- Customizable software and airflow settings can be set for variety of ventilator and manikin brands.
Future Work
Future design ideas include backup battery support in the event of power outages, as well as the inclusion of additional sensors to further enhance the simulation environment.
Project Files
Project Charter (link)
System Requirements Specification (link)
Architectural Design Specification (link)
Detailed Design Specification (link)
Poster (link)
Video (link)
References
1. Andres L. Mora Carpio and Jorge I. Mora. Positive end-expiratory pressure.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441904/, 2023.
2. IngMar Medical. Make your simman and simboy ventilator ready.
https://www.ingmarmed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Lung-Solution-9-19.pdf, 2019.
Accessed: 09/21/2023.
3. Laerdal Medical. Asl 5000 breathing simulator – ingmar medical.
https://www.ingmarmed.com/product/asl-5000-breathing-simulator/, 2022. Accessed:
09/12/2023.
4. Lardal Medical. Simman 3g plus | parts. https://laerdal.com/us/doc/4516/SimMan-3G-
Plus/Webshop/PARTS.
5. Lardal Medical. Asl 5000 lung solution live virtual product demo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFVX6YT2qeg, 2020.
