Design and create a device that can increase the efficiency of carving away concave sites of debridement.

Project Overview

Deep infection following the arthroplasty of total knee and hip replacement, is one of the most feared complications in the world of Orthopedics. One in every one hundred patients that undergo hip or knee arthroplasty, acquire an infection in the area of the implant. The techniques currently employed in the surgical procedure of eradicating deep infection not only require excess time, precision, and money, but are widely non-uniform and hard to execute in a systematic fashion. In addition, the current method of using a scalpel often does not eliminate the infection to its full extent, which requires the patient to engage in additional procedures or antibiotics. In order to best optimize efficiency and cost effectiveness of the procedure, a novel surgical instrument must be designed to increase the overall success rate while simultaneously ensuring a more uniform excisional irrigation and debridement. The device will utilize a general handle-like forearm in conjunction with a double sided convex blade to be able to glide along an ideal concave infection surface. The forearm will provide a stable surface area for the surgeon’s hand while the double-ended blade will effectively dissect through the infected layers of tissue.

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Alexis Block - Team Leader
• Zachary Oppenheim - Communicator
• Christy Li - BSAC
• Jason Hahn - BWIG
• Kennedy Kruse - BPAG
• James Nitz

Advisor and Client

• Dr. Russ Johnson - Advisor
• Dr. Kyle Muckenhirn - Client

Related Projects

• Fall 2023: Eradicating deep infection
• Spring 2023: Eradicating deep infection