During the summers (June, 2001 – August, 2005), I worked as an engineering technician at Arrow International. Arrow International is an international medical device company that specializes in cardiac assist products. The division that I worked for concentrated on developing and manufacturing intra-aortic balloon catheters. I was responsible for the validation testing of the 35cc IAB for use in Japan.
Compression stockings can be used to non-invasively treat and manage a variety of vascular conditions. While successful, the mechanism by which compression improves vascular health remains unclear. Furthermore, studies have revealed discrepancies between the pressure profiles quoted by manufacturers and those measured in practice. These factors ultimately point to a need to continuously monitor the state of the compression stocking and its interaction with the vascular system. We propose to design a wireless device to continuously track the health of the peripheral vasculature. The sensing modules include (1) a pressure sensing array for characterizing the static and dynamic compression profile, (2) a bio-impedance sensor for assessing leg volume, and (3) a portable ultrasound system for measuring arterial and venous blood flow velocity. Data from these sensors is continuously transmitted to a mobile computing device, and later to a centralized database.
- M. Hegarty, E. Grant, L. Reid, "An Overview of Technologies Related to Care for Venous Leg Ulcers," IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, vol. 14, issue 2, pp. 387-393.
- M. Hegarty, F. Livingston, E. Grant, L. Reid, "A Wearable Monitoring System for Continuously Assessing the Health of the Peripheral Vasculature," 1st AME-IEEE Medical Technology Conference on Individualized Health Care, 2010 [poster].
- M. Hegarty, D. Kaber, and E. Grant, "Applications of Usability Analysis Techniques to the Design of Rehabilitation Equipment," in Proceedings of the 2009 IEA 17th World Congress on Ergonomics, 2009.
- M. Hegarty, E. Grant, L. Reid, and T. Henderson, "A Dynamic Compression System for Improving Ulcer Healing: Design of a Sensing Garment," in Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Multisensor Fusion and Integration for Intelligent Systems, 2008.
- M. Hegarty and T. Forshey, "Pillowcase Folding Aid to Improve Productivity for Adults with Cognitive Impairment," in NSF 2008 Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities, ed. J. D. Enderle and B. Hallowell, Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Mansfield Center, CT).
- T. Forshey and M. Hegarty, "Wafer Sealing Aid," in NSF 2008 Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities, ed. J. D. Enderle and B. Hallowell, Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Mansfield Center, CT).
