The objective of this project is to develop a novel dynamic pectus carinatum brace that alleviates pain while maintaining treatment efficacy compared to current commercial products.
Sponsored by: Penn State Health
Team Members
Anna Barto Taylor Jede Linley Keisling Tatiana Terranova
Instructor: Amar Yeware
Project Poster
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
Pectus carinatum, pigeon chest, is a deformity of the chest wall characterized by the sternum and often ribs protruding outwards. It is most commonly treated with an orthotic brace that puts pressure on the deformity and is worn for 6-12 hours a day; patients report this brace is uncomfortable and often preemptively remove the brace to avoid discomfort. However, to effectively treat pigeon chest moderate pressures must be consistently exerted. Hence, Penn State Health tasked our team to create a more dynamic and comfortable orthotic pressure brace that would still effectively treat pigeon chest.
Objectives
To reveal the current issues associated with commercial braces and develop a novel orthotic brace that improves patient comfort while maintaining treatment efficacy.
Approach
-Customer needs and requirements were aggregated and analyzed from online product reviews and patient feedback via Penn State Health
-Concepts were generated via concept sketches and further screened through rapid prototyping
-The final design was modeled in COMSOL and built
-Analytical verification was performed
Outcomes
-A novel pectus carinatum brace was created that utilizes a constant force mechanism
*The new brace is dynamic (increasing patient comfort) and theoretically has the same efficacy as current commercial braces (provides the same force)
-Further research is needed for modifying the design to implement tape springs or forsus springs in the future
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