Smart Medical Drainage Catheter

Background:
Approximately 2 million U.S. residents will develop excess fluid known as pleural effusions or ascites due to underlying terminal conditions. This excess fluid pushes on the internal organs making it difficult to breathe, eat, walk around, or conduct other normal daily activities. One treatment available is to have an Indwelling Pleural or Peritoneal Catheter implanted so that the patient can drain their excess fluid at home instead of having to go into the hospital. The patient uses bottles or bags to collect the fluid when their symptoms develop to collect and dispose of the excess fluid.

Project Scope:
Develop a functional prototype of an implantable smart medical drainage catheter that is able to:
1. Remove excess fluids from a bodily cavity and be collected into a sealed container to be disposed of safely (similar to existing drainage catheter devices on the market).
2. Automatically measure, record, and preferably wirelessly communicate the following parameters from the fluid in-line during removal:
- Total quantity of fluid drained over time
- Time and duration of drainage procedures
- Detection of clogs
- Biometric Measurements of Fluid: pH, oxygen, glucose, temperature