Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tulane University
500 Boggs Center
New Orleans, LA 70118
http://www.bmen.tulane.edu
Department Chair: Donald P. Gaver
Supervising Professor: David A. Rice
rice@tulane.edu
http://www.tulane.edu/~rice
BME IDEA Competition 2008
SafeSnip Umbilical Cord Disinfectant, Clamp, and Cutter
GLOBAL ENGINEERING DESIGN, LLC
THE PROBLEM
In developing areas and disaster and refugee situations where health care infrastructure is deficient or non-existent, most deliveries occur through help from family or traditional birth attendants in unsanitary conditions. Two thirds of neonatal deaths occur in Africa and Southeast Asia, where traditional birth methods for severing the umbilical cord can involve the use of a string to clamp the cord and an often contaminated cutting device. In some cultures, the cord is coated with various substances, many of which contain bacterial and viral contaminants. With such unsanitary conditions, there exists a much higher rate of infant and maternal mortality due to preventable causes, such as bacterial infections and neonatal tetanus. A 1993 study shows that 1.7 million neonatal deaths are due to infection, with about 2/3 occurring during the birth process. Roughly 70% of African communities prefer home deliveries, and little attention is focused on preserving traditions associated with the birthing process. There has been an effort by development and disaster agencies to provide birthing kits, but these typically involve several items, many of which can be contaminated, lost or undesirably reused in another delivery. The SafeSnip design proposal addresses the limited support that has focused on preventable causes of neonatal infection and death.
Members: Westbrook Weaver, Mark Young, Joseph Kramer,
Will Sprott, William Kethman, David Ladd,
Bryan Molter, Stephanie Roberts, Robbie Whitman,
Lori Bell
See our Poster
See our business plan and technical documents
(This link is a dummy until our IP is protected. If you need further
information, contact Dr. Rice using his link above.)