BME100 f2017:Group14 W0800 L2

TEAM MEMBERS

Name: Shae Diaz

Name: Kennedy Miskin

Name: David Asuncion

Name: Sean Smits

Name: Carlos Mendez-Arias

Technical Feasibility

What are the technologies needed?

Our auto injector of Lorazepam is similar to the well-known Epipen used to treat anaphylaxis. Our device needs auto injector technology to work properly. The technology required is what delivers a dose of a particular drug, which in this case is Lorazepam. The design requires a spring-loaded syringe to administer the dose. We will need latch-type mechanisms to hold the needle and drug in place. The design of our auto injector will allow for easy use and quick relief. Our device will also require a switch to operate. The switch will function as a safety, only allowing for the drug to be administered if the switch is slid upwards. Unlike the Epipen, our switch will be on the side so people are forced to hold the auto injector a certain way, which would reduce the amount of incidences of people accidentally stabbing their thumb. Our safety mechanism needs to prevent accidental firing. It should be red when the safety is activated and green once it is slid up to indicate that the drug can be administered. We also need a technology that registers when the drug has been delivered so that people know when to stop holding the auto injector against their skin. This would be some kind of a visual indication. Lastly, we need an outer body mechanism that exposes the needle when the switch is activated and quickly springs back in to cover the needle. Overall, the technology required is not hard to obtain since there are already developed technologies surrounding auto injectors.

What are the challenges?

The challenges of our device will mostly result from technological errors. A challenge is making the shelf life last longer for the drug contained inside of the auto injector. Lorazepam has a shelf life of about 60 days without refrigeration.^1 A way to refrigerate the inside of the auto injector would be beneficial, but is difficult to implement in such a small device. Another issue would be with the switch. If the switch does not function properly and allow for the release of the drug, the patient could die. The switch also needs to be accurate when it displays the colors so people know when to inject the drug. Another potential challenge is the visual indication mechanism, which displays when the drug has been fully administered. This is crucial because people need to receive the correct amount of Lorazepam to properly treat their seizure. Lastly, the mechanism behind the spring is essential since it releases the drug. If it does not fire properly, patients will be in trouble. Luckily, these auto injector technologies are not new and there are many successful mechanisms and methods already established.

What could go wrong?

There are issues with our device’s technology, as there is with almost all medical devices. If the mechanisms fail to work, then the drug would not be administered and potential death can result. There are multiple mechanisms that could result in the failure of the drug being administered. For example, if the switching mechanism doesn’t work, then the drug might not be administered. Similarly, if the visual indication fails then the drug might not have been administered efficiently and properly. Another factor to note is the shelf life of our auto injector. Without refrigeration, Lorazepam has a shelf life of about 60 days. ^1 This is crucial information because that is how long the auto injector will remain useful for. Although our design is fairly simple, people may still not know how to use it correctly. In addition to well-engineered technology, we also need to be conscious of the labelling of our device.

Overall Technical Feasibility: 3

Based on the fundability worksheet, our device would receive a score of 3 for technical feasibility. This means that our design is simple and straightforward, with known materials and methods. Since there are already auto injectors established, the technology has already proven to be successful. The materials needed to properly execute the technology have already been established. The only mechanism to worry about is the switch, but even other auto injectors have some type of safety mechanism involved in their design, so ours would not be difficult to create.

Resources

1. NCBI, "The 60-day temperature-dependent degradation of midazolam and Lorazepam in the prehospital environment". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23148574