Middle ear infections are a common disease in canines. Treatment for the disease often involves using a catheter for myringotomy, or puncture of the tympanic membrane for flushing of the middle ear. Current practices are inefficient and traumatic, sometimes requiring multiple incisions and excessive force. The goal of this project was to design a flexible and safe device to traverse the ear canal and cut the tympanic membrane in one pass. The device must be compatible with current surgical processes and be safe to use before, during, and after surgery. Through rapid prototyping, finite element analysis, and experimental testing with a scaled prototype, the team can conclude that this design successfully fulfills the objectives set forth by the clients.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Blanchard, Jack Alexander
• Tower, Connor James
• Quintal, Nicole Franciose
• Clark, Michael Robert
• Beach, Kaitlin Ann

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042617-153024

Award

• Provost's MQP Award

Advisor

• Billiar, Kristen

Year

• 2017

Sponsor

• Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

Date created

• 2017-04-26

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-01-20