Fourth Meeting

Materials for the construction of the pillow (following the idea the group came up with last week) have been purchased. The two pillow were purchased from Target while the wege pillow along with the neck support pillow were bought from BedBath&Beyond. This is different from what was planned (and written in our proposal in Week 3) as our purchases were to be made from WalMart.

While the bottom of the wedge pillow would have a beach chair mechanism attached to it, the top of the pillow would have ridges. These ridges would be made of pantyhose material stuffed with regular pillow stuffing. The ridges would then either be sewed onto the top of the wedge or laid down with wire. There will also be a small curvature toward the top half of the pillow to cradle the head and neck.

Third Meeting (April 19, 2012)

This week, the group conducted two interviews with constituents suffering from COPD (these interviews can be found in the previous posts). 

Further changed our orgiinal design. The newly proposed ideas included using a wedge as a building block and devising a mechanism to elevate the pillow when necessary. After consulting with Dr. Allen, the group considered including a pulse oximeter with the design. This would be used if a patient woke up in the middle of the night. The patient could then test their oxygen levels to determine whether the pillow needs to be adjusted.

As of this week, many ideas were proposed. The group's initial idea was to have a motor raise the pillow which later changed to having a conveyor belt mechanism with an attached ball that would move up and down, raising or lowering the pillow as necessary. Another idea was to have the patient manually stuff the pillow to raise or lower the height of it. These ideas were discounted because they would have had to be implemented inside the pillow and would thus be uncomfortable. Additionally, the motor could be a potential source of noise during the night, and manually stuffing the pillow would be labor intensive.

The group decided on one final idea. A wedge pillow would be used as a building block. The base of the wedge pillow would have a beach-chair mechanism attached to it. This would allow the patient to raise or lower the pillow if necessary.

 



Figure 1: The above image displaces an open and a closed airway.
http://dr4greatsmiles.com/dental-services/sleep-apnea-snore-appliance/











Figure 2: The above figure shows an open airway.
http://www.simulaids.com/LF03687.htm



Interview 2

Q: Do you have COPD?

A: Yes

Q: How does your difficulty breathing affect your daily activities?

A: Yes. It is hard for me to move around.  I have a difficult time bending down and lifting heavier objects.

Q: Do you take medicine to help you breath during the day?

A: No

Q: How does your COPD affect your sleeping habits?

A: I can’t really really sleep through the night.  I wake up often.  I try to move around and go back to sleep, but I never stay asleep for long.

Q: How do you deal with these problems?

A: I use oxygen.  I also prop myself using cushions.  I don’t sleep sitting up completely because it is very uncomfortable.

Q: What treatments (if any) have doctors given you to help you sleep at night?

A: I use oxygen at night, but this isn’t very comfortable.  It gets in the way when I sleep.

Q: Do you feel like you feel well rested and like you get a good night’s sleep?

A: No...I only get 2-3 hours of sleep. Like I said, I get up and move around a lot at night to try to get myself to fall asleep comfortably.

Q: Do you feel like your sleeping habits negatively affect you during the daytime, and if so, how?

A: Yes.  I am tired so on top of my breathing, it is hard to move around and get my stuff done.

Q: What would you like to see in a night-time solution?

A: I can’t really come up with anything.  I use my oxygen, and I’m not sure what would be better.

Interview 1

Q: How long have you been affected with emphysema?

A: “I was diagnosed about ten years ago.  I’ve probably had it for longer but it was not diagnosed.  Over the years it has gotten worse, though.”

Q: How does emphysema affect your daily activities?

A: “It makes it very hard to walk.  I get out of breath very easily and have to stop in between to take breaks to catch my breath.”

Q: What treatments (if any) have doctors given you to help you during the day time?

A: I take Spiriva, it is a capsule with an inhaler, once per day.  Another medication I use is Xopenex, which is an inhalation aerosol that comes with the inhaler already attached to the medicine.  It is one piece, and I take 2 puffs as need every 8 hours.”

Q: Do you experience any side effects from these medications?

A: Nothing visible

Q: How does emphysema affect your sleeping habits?

A: “Well I can’t lie down flat, and I’m not supposed to lie on my back.”

Q: How do you deal with these problems?

A: “I sleep sitting upright on my couch and I sleep when I can.  I get up and walk around during the night, maybe play on the computer, and then go back to sleep.  Watching TV is always the best sleep medicine for me.”

Q: What treatments (if any) have doctors given you to help you sleep at night?

A: “The doctors have not given me any treatments for the night-time.”

Q: Do you feel like you feel well rested and like you get a good night’s sleep?

A: “Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  It is definitely not as good as how I used to be able to sleep before the emphysema.”

Q: Do you feel like your sleeping habits negatively affect you during the day time, and if so, how?

A: “That’s a hard question, since the medications help during the day.  Sometimes I will take a nap during the day, but I’m not sure if that is a result of the COPD, the medications, or a combination of the two.”

Q: What would you like to see in a night-time solution?

A: “Well I don’t need oxygen tank like I know some people have to use.  I do have a wedge to keep me upright, but I find that it is not as comfortable as the couch.  I’d like to see someone come up with some sort of upright cubicle bed to keep me upright at night.”

Second Meeting


Today the group wrote a brief proposal for our design. The proposal included criteria, constraints, alternative solutions, and design goals. The group met with Dr. Allen and perfected the problem statement.  After doing some research, the group members have a better understanding of COPD. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show exactly how COPD can affect the lungs.

Figure 1. Basic overview of the respiratory system.

Figure 2. Close up of the damage done to air sacs  by emphysema. 

Revised Problem Statement: "People with COPD are unable to take in a lot/ a "normal" amount of oxygen. Furthermore, when they sleep, their posture blocks their airway, further reducing the amount of oxygen available to them. "

For next week, the group will write our official design proposal, continue doing research, arrange appointments to meet with constituents, and lock in one of our solutions to the problem.

References

May 1 2011. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [Online]. Available: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001153/

First Meeting

Title of Idea: Neck Support System for People with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder)

Description:

The idea was developed after a group member observed her grandmother, who suffers from emphysema, having discomfort when sleeping. The grandmother could not sleep lying down flat. She started off by sleeping upright on the couch, as she could not lean her head backward. This posture did not allow her to breath comfortably. So, she slept with her chin to her chest, eventually creating stress among the bones and muscles in the back of her neck.

With this in mind,  the group plans on developing some sort of brace to relieve muscular strain and aid in air intake (keeping air passages unobstructed).


Plan of Action:

For next week, the group hopes to research COPD in greater detail, so we have a better understanding of the condition. Understanding the problem better would enable the group to devise an effective solution.

Possible Future Plan:

It would be valuable to visit patients at either Jefferson Hospital or the Temple Lung Center to interview those with COPD and those who have trouble sleeping. This will allow the group to hear the problem from people who experience it first hand.