DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/983Y-0160
Defense Date
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Gerald Miller
Second Advisor
Karla Mossi
Abstract
Real-time, bedside observation of patient clotting is essential in various surgeries in the operating room (OR), but specifically during cardiac surgeries. The objective of this thesis is to design and test a new piezoelectric device that can be used for viscoelasticity measurement with time as a Point of Care (POC) test. Slow turnaround times (TAT) of current methods to monitor blood viscoelastic changes in patients have led to excessive bleeding and the need for blood transfusions in many situations (Despotis et al, 1997). This study shows that the phase shift produced by a resonator sensor can be related to the viscosity of a liquid. By monitoring a phase shift between an actuator and sensor pair, a numeric relationship can be generated and suffice as a calibration curve for each probe. At a calculated error averaging a maximum of 2%, and coefficient of determination and correlation coefficient exceeding 0.95, two probes have been tested in various glycerin solutions and prepared for whole blood experimentation. They have also been tested in varying temperatures to simulate effectiveness in a dynamic environment, similar to that of clotting whole blood.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
August 2012