Sensor System Development for Measuring and/or Characterizing Surgical Drain Fluid Output

Supervision: Christoph Hennersperger, Julia Rackerseder, Prof. Dr. Nassir Navab Student: Mario Roser

Abstract

A large portion of today`s surgical procedures relies on using surgical drains to support and monitor surgical wound healing. Measuring the fluid output of surgical drains is done manually these days. An automated monitoring system would be beneficial to patient safety since abrupt changes in fluid flow might indicate a clogged drain or excessive wound bleeding, with the latter requiring rapid intervention. A characterization of the drain fluid regarding color or reflectivity might yield early signs for a developing bacterial infection in the wound cavity, thus enabling early and effective counter measures.

The aim of this master thesis is to develop a sensor prototype suitable for the purpose stated above and to evaluate its performance according to criteria derived from the clinical need. The project should therefore begin with developing an improved understanding of the actual clinical need as a basis for deriving the sensor system requirements. This will be achieved through observations and interviews with physicians and nursing staff in the clinical environment. Based on the requirements a literature review will be conducted to evaluate suitable physical measurement principles with the respective sensor technologies. A prototype will be developed by implementing the most suitable and economically affordable sensor technology. The performance of the prototype in the light of the afore mentioned requirements will subsequently be evaluated in an artificial setting representing the clinical environment as close as possible.