Boston Scientific: Catheter stiffness profile test development

This project has been secured to protect intellectual property.

MTS test fixture to measure catheter stiffness.

Project Overview

Microcatheters are complex pieces of medical equipment that are utilized for a variety of intravascular procedures. Since they must be able to move through tortuous vasculature and push through areas of high resistance in vascular channels, the mechanical properties of microcatheters must be carefully tailored to optimize the pushability, tractability, and torquability throughout the length of the microcatheter. Boston Scientific currently lacks adequate methods to determine mechanical properties of their most advanced microcatheters: The Mamba and The Mamba Flex. Our team has been tasked with solving this problem by developing a testing protocol to determine the catheter stiffness across the length of the Mamba, Mamba Flex, and any future Boston Scientific microcatheters. Our protocol should give repeatable and reproducible results in a concise manner. This will enable engineers and quality control staff to monitor the mechanical properties of their catheters during both product development and production.

Team Picture

Team members from left to right: Julia Garofalo, Grant Karlsson Ellifson, Will Fox, Justin DeShaw, Emily Knott

Image

Prelim Presentations: Julia Garofalo, Will Fox, Emily Knott, Justin DeShaw, Grant Karlsson Ellifson

Contact Information

Team Members

Will Fox - Team Leader
Julia Garofalo - Communicator
Justin Deshaw - BSAC
Emily Knott - BWIG
Grant Karlsson Ellifson - BPAG

Advisor and Client

Prof. Paul Thompson - Advisor
Mrs. Kelsey Cooper - Client
Ms. Lisa Shoemaker - Alternate Contact

Related Projects

Spring 2019: Boston Scientific: Catheter stiffness profile test development
Fall 2018: Boston Scientific: Catheter stiffness profile test development