About Our Project
The Paralytic Twitch Sensor is a device to monitor the level of muscle paralysis in patients from the neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) used during general anesthesia. It’s designed with the intention of being the helping hands of the anesthesiologist in the operating room. The apparatus will stimulate a peripheral nerve with a constant current and measure the response by the corresponding muscle. By assessing the depth of neuromuscular blockade through nerve stimulation, the anesthesiologist can ensure proper medication dosing and minimize the existing issue of prolonged paralysis and muscle weakness after an operation.
The objective of this senior design project is to research and create an alternative sensor technology that can perform similarly to other neuromuscular monitoring systems but with greater reliability and that offers a more user-friendly and convenient way of measuring.
Project Sponsors
- Dr. Thomas Looke - tdlooke[at]hotmail[dot]com
- Dr. Zhihua Qu
The image to the right shows the main graphing screen for the Paralytic Twitch Sensor. More details about the operation of the device and what each button on the LCD corresponds is available in project documentation.