Texas Engineering World Health works on medical projects for the developing world.
Each year we work on a different project and submit it to the Engineering World Health Competition.
We work on researching the prevalent problems that need solutions and we look into making the
idea financially feasible for hospitals in the developing world. Lastly, we create a
prototype that encompasses engineering skills from all different engineering fields.
In Texas Engineering World Health, members study current global health
issues and utilize their knowledge and skills to create tangible products
to address these problems. The main focus of the organization is
geared towards design project competitions, specifically the Engineering
World Health Design Competition.
This year, we are creating a neonatal incubator with bili lights that is targeted for the developing world. Currently, jaundice is a prevalent problem in the developing world and without proper treatment, many babies can get diagnosed with life threatening diseases.
FreePulse, a low-cost patient monitor, was the primary project of Texas
Engineering World Health during the 2014-2015 academic year. Patient monitors
play a crucial role in virtually all aspects of medical care, including emergency
and surgical units, intensive and critical care units, and other non-critical units.
Unfortunately, the cost of current market models ranges from $1,000 to $10,000,
which has created a low patient-monitor-to-patient ratio in many developing countries.
There is a clear and demonstrated need for a low-cost patient monitor that can be purchased in bulk
by developing world hospitals, thus giving many more patients the monitoring they need. Our project,
the FreePulse low-cost patient monitor, aims to fill this gap in developing world healthcare and
provide a durable, reliable, and accessible monitor.
FreePulse provides basic monitoring for heart rate, electrocardiogram
signals (ECG), and percent saturated oxygen (SpO2) with analog and digital
filtering. Visual alerts are implemented to warn nurses if a patient begins
to experience cardiac or respiratory distress, matching the capability of
current market devices. A replaceable backup battery and uninterrupted power
circuit ensures that the device continues to function even in unstable power
conditions.
This project was the winner of the Engineering World Health design competition
and was the third place winner in the National Institue of Health's DEBUT competition.
For more information on FreePulse, please check out the submission!