Problem Overview
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) encompasses some of the common lung disorders such as emphysema, bronchitis, and chronic asthma. People with COPD are unable to inhale a normal amount of oxygen due to a loss in elasticity of the air sacs in their lungs. One major problem that people with COPD encounter is that when they sleep, their posture blocks their airway, further reducing the amount of oxygen available to them.
Design Constraints
There are several design constraints which must be addressed. These include time period, money, and resources. There are only seven weeks available to develop and design a solution to the stated problem. Because of this time constraint, the design will have to be rather simple yet efficient. Limited funds are available for this project as the only source of money is coming from the design team. Furthermore, as undergraduate students, it is difficult to gain access to different labs, databases, and medical centers. For example, it might prove challenging to conduct human testing as this would require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Pre-Existing Solutions
There are medications for COPD to help patients breathe better. However, a lot of the time, this medication keeps patients awake at night. The National Sleep Foundation says "Sleep problems and sleepiness are common in COPD patients, partly due to symptoms but also because of the medications used to treat COPD." There are also pillows designed to decrease snoring. Although these pillows are not necessarily a solution for COPD, they help open the air passage, thus increasing oxygen intake. Many times when people sleep on their backs their tongue falls back onto their air passage causing a disturbance in their breathing patterns, causing them to snore. There is no definite cure for COPD. However, like mentioned above, there are medications to relieve patients of some of the symptoms associated with COPD.
Design Goal
The end goal of this design project is to help patients with COPD increase air intake at night thus allowing them to sleep more comfortably. The design would open the air passage to permit a greater flow of oxygen into the lungs. The current plan is to design a pillow that cradles the head and supports the neck. The pillow will be shaped so there is a gradual decline from the neck to the center of the skull followed by a gradual incline from the center to the top of the head. There will be some support behind the neck as well. By getting a good night’s sleep, patients will feel well rested and be able to live a more active lifestyle.
Currently existing methods of treatment do not address COPD during the night time when patients are trying to sleep. Rather, they focus on the time when the patient is awake. These methods are also invasive. For some patients, medication might not be a favorable option because it would require the intake of foreign substances. The proposed design will not be invasive in any respect.
Project Deliverables
By the end of this project, an animated design and a physical prototype should be available. The animated design, which will be created using ProEngineer software, will depict the exact structure of our intended pillow. The physical prototype which will be produced might not be marketable. The purpose of the physical prototype will be to provide a tangible model to better demonstrate the pillow’s intended use.
Project Schedule
The plan for week 3 is to have at least one interview and an initial sketch/design of our project completed. All basic research should be done. Then in week 4, the group will meet with patients at Jefferson Hospital and conduct more interviews. Collected information will be analyzed and adjusted for our design as needed. During week 5 the group will work on creating an animated sketch on ProE. Then in week 6 materials will be bought and an attempt at building a physical model will be made. In week 7 the group will be testing and making adjustments to the model, and possibly revisit hospitals to have patients test the product. Week 8 will consist of final modifications. The lab report will be written in week 9, and the presentation will be done in week 10. Throughout the process, research will be conducted where necessary to gain more knowledge on different aspects of COPD.
Projected Budget
Initially, two pillows will be bought for material analysis. Both will be from Walmart costing $25 (http://www.walmart.com/browse/Bedding/Bed-Pillows/_/N-8rgwZaq90Zaqce/Ne-2p4i?browsein=true&ic=48_0&ref=125874.408848&tab_value=Online&povid=cat539103-env198210-moduleA062911-lLinkLHN1BedPillows&fromPageCatId=539103&catNavId=539103). After observation, materials from the purchased pillows might be combined to form the physical prototype. Also, a sleeping wedge pillow will be bought from Walmart for $29 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Carpenter-Co.-Comfort-Supreme-Plus-Memory-Foam-Bed-Wedge-Pillow/14705616?findingMethod=rr). The group has allotted an additional $50 per person for additional materials if needed such as fabric and pillow stuffing. This could change depending upon what materials the group ends up using, since we are not quite sure yet how we will go about constructing our model.
References
2011. COPD And Difficulty Breathing. [Online]. Available: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-problems/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-and-sleep.
2012. Anti-Snoring Pillows. [Online]. Available: http://www.insomnia.net/sleep-aids/snore-pillows/.
MayoClinicStaff. April 29 2011. Lifestyle and Home Remedies. [Online]. Available: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/emphysema/DS00296/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies
March 1 2012. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). [Online]. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/copd/.
March 6 2012. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). [Online]. Availble: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
May 1 2011. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [Online]. Available: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
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