Development of Intraperitoneal Abdominal Catheter for Artificial Pancreas System

Abstract

Diabetes is a disease affecting millions of people all over the world. It is a chronic disease that prevents the body from producing enough insulin. Not all diabetics can deliver insulin using conventional methods, and there is a need for a system that can deliver insulin as well as monitoring the blood glucose level safely. The Artificial Pancreas team is developing a robust closed-loop glucose control system. A vital part in this process is the development of an intraperitoneal port that will allow insulin delivery and glucose control. There are several challenges connected to the development of the port.

A huge part of the task is to consider how movements of the abdomen influences the port. To answer this question, a Finite Element model has been developed to simulate the movement of the abdomen. To obtain the necessary material data to create this model, two experiments ave been conducted. An uniaxial tensile testing has been conducted on porcine tissues from the abdominal wall, as well as a movement test of the abdomen. The analyze shows that the port can be subjected to displacement ovalisation, and that material selection and wall thickness of the port has a significant impact on these findings.

The other part of this thesis is connected to how the port should be designed to meet user needs and to prevent complications. An analysis of user demands and needs from an intraperitoneal port has been conducted to obtain necessary product demand parameters, as well as prototyping of port parts. The analyzes highlights design parameters that can prevent complications, as well as providing comfort for the user.

The main takeaways from this thesis would be the finite element model that was developed, which with small modification can be used for further simulations, along with the product demand specification based on the findings from the survey and prototype experiment. The product Demand Specification should be considered in further development of the design parameters.