{"id":583,"date":"2024-06-24T11:26:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T15:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/?p=583"},"modified":"2025-07-28T17:03:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T21:03:20","slug":"senior-design-project-helps-train-healthcare-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/news\/senior-design-project-helps-train-healthcare-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Design Project Helps Train Healthcare Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are certain medical procedures that healthcare workers perform so frequently they almost become like second nature. There are others, however, that aren\u2019t as common and require some practice to keep the skills fresh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paracentesis is a procedure to remove extra fluid from the abdomen by using a needle and a catheter. The excess fluid is called ascites. Healthcare workers can perform a paracentesis to relieve pain or pressure, or to diagnose conditions that cause ascites, such as cirrhosis of the liver, portal hypertension, infection, organ failure, or cancer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leo Lamsen, an emergency physician at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and assistant professor at the&nbsp;UT Graduate School of Medicine, has a paracentesis task training model available to help medical students, resident physicians, and attending physicians practice the procedure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current training models can cost anywhere from $3,000-$10,000, and replacement inserts from $1,000-$5,000. Seeking a way to find a more cost-efficient model, Lamsen asked a senior design team from the Tickle College of Engineering to tackle the problem.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent biomedical engineering graduates Jordan Mullay, Liz Duty, and Palmer Baines created a training model that not only saves money, but better replicates the body of a patient. The model, which cost between $700-800, earned an honorable mention for Best Biomedical Engineering Prototype during this year\u2019s Senior Design Showcase.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt came out better than I thought it would,\u201d Lamsen said. \u201cI think they were able to design a model that offers something that isn\u2019t available commercially. They did a great job.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lamsen wanted a training model that had a protruding abdomen filled with fluid to accurately display what patients look like when they arrive to be treated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The senior design team ordered a mannequin on Amazon and developed the trainer using mold casting techniques and silicone that is reusable, durable, and doesn\u2019t leak. They used a specific phantom gel for the stomach area that could be used for ultrasound so when healthcare workers insert the needle, they don\u2019t accidentally hit one of the organs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/3D-printed-abdomen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/3D-printed-abdomen.jpg 400w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/3D-printed-abdomen-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The organs were 3D printed and coated in the same material as the abdomen. The abdomen is filled with fluid through a pump, and the abdomen can be \u201cself-healing\u201d from the needle pokes by using a heat gun to seal the gel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team went through a lot of trial and error to reach the final product. It was able to improvise and find better solutions than were part of the original design plan. The trainer provided more functionality than the current model Lamsen uses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe biggest lesson was being able to problem solve really quickly, and we used a lot of different things from our classes,\u201d Mullay said. \u201cFor example, looking at the material properties of silicone that we used to make sure its durable or the mold casting technique, we wouldn\u2019t have even thought of without ME 366. You could see all the different ideas from a lot of the different classes we\u2019ve taken come together for this project.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mullay, Duty, and Baines delivered the paracentesis task training model to Lamsen in early May. They also provided all the files containing the photos, manufacturing plans, and testing results. Lamsen intends to use the training model this summer at UTMC and UTHSC for practice and see what other enhancements could be made in the future if needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lamsen and MABE Associate Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies Jeffrey Reinbolt have also discussed having a similar senior design project next year to create a model for other medical procedures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt feels like all our hard work wasn\u2019t for nothing. This project actually has meaning and what we did was useful and purposeful,\u201d said Mullay, who is returning to UT in the fall for her master\u2019s degree and already has been hired as a product development engineering at Helix Biotech in Knoxville. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just busy work. We actually accomplished something that was successful and can help others.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Contact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683,&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:rpotkey@utk.edu\">rpotkey@utk.edu)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A biomedical senior design team created a paracentesis task training model that is cheaper and more functional than current models. It will be tested this summer at the UT Health Science Center and UT Medical Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-senior-design"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Senior Design Project Helps Train Healthcare Workers - Department of Biomedical Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A UT senior design team created a paracentesis task training model to be tested at the UT Health Science Center and UT Medical Center.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/bme\/news\/senior-design-project-helps-train-healthcare-workers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senior Design Project Helps Train Healthcare Workers - 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