Phoenix Children's Hospital

Our team is seeking to design an endovascular shunt system for treating obstructive hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up in the brain’s ventricles, and puts pressure on the brain. This restricts blood flow and can cause damage to the brain tissue. Current treatments are highly invasive and are largely ineffective in treating…

The BioSpringTM offers a millimeter-scale, biocompatible spring with high compressibility and load-bearing capacity, enhancing the linear range of motion and providing consistent passive force to promote bone growth in the context of numerous orthopedic implants. This unique double-walled polymeric design, combining a shape-stabilizing outer mesh with an elastic inner material, enables structural elasticity in one…

The engineering team at AVACETM Biomedics has developed a medical device concept that would assist in verifying bone segment placement and realignment—intraoperatively—during a bone deformity correction. The concept is centered around a circular bubble or spirit level designed to attach and detach to the orthopedic surgical pins that are typically placed on the bone during…

Our capstone team has worked in order to develop a 3-dimensional steerable catheter system for the placement of an endovascular shunt to treat obstructive hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus occurs when a buildup of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in the brain’s ventricles causes them to expand, restricting blood flow to surrounding brain tissue. Current solutions often involve intense surgical…

Rigid spinal implants are commonly used to treat pediatric deformities, but are poorly suited to ongoing growth, resulting in asymmetric bone development and poor tissue integration. A clinical need exists for orthopedic implants that correct deformities while accommodating growth without repeat intervention. The BioSpring™ addresses this need with a compact, biocompatible spring embedded in a…

The engineering team at AVACE™ Biomedics has developed a novel medical device concept that would assist in verifying bone segment placement and realignment—intraoperatively—during a bone deformity correction. The concept is centered around a circular bubble or spirit level designed to attach and detach to the orthopedic surgical pins that are typically placed on the bone…

Within the last hundred years, a considerable stall in fracture research at the growth plate has contributed to inadequacies in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric orthopedic fractures, sometimes leading to lifelong pain, immobility, and deformities. This issue is the result of a lack of research devices to study and better understand growth plate fractures….