Abstract
Cardiac catheterization is one of the most common medical procedures performed in many nations to diagnose and treat heart conditions. Recently, Biosense Webster has faced unpredictability in determining the output of the distal end of the catheter, the end tip of the catheter that moves within the human heart . To combat this, the Biosense Webster engineering design team has enlisted the help of various senior design teams within the state of Florida to curate a creative solution to ensure stability while utilizing their catheter.
The senior design team is developing a collapsible testing fixture for the Biosense Webster engineering design team. The teams design settled on using plastic to serve as the base for the testing rig. The catheter lies on top of the plastic platform and is rigidly fastened within a mold to hold the handle of the catheter. The catheter spans the length of the acrylic box, dubbed the heart box that lies where on the opposite side of the plastic platform. The distal end of the catheter is then inserted within the heart box. The knob of the catheter, the piece of the build that dictates the output of the distal end, is controlled by a stepper motor that rests above the catheter. The stepper motor is fastened to a mold that secures onto the knob of the catheter. A camera will rest above the heart box to capture the output of the distal end. The captures from the camera will be processed into MATLAB to validate the output and input angle and ensure they are the same.
The projects completion allowed Biosense Webster to safely advertise to practitioners and surgeons that they can safely navigate within the human heart with a 0.5 degree of freedom precision using their cardiac catheter. This helps enforce a safer standard for those receiving heart procedures.
