Samueli School of Engineering

Abstract: The motivation behind developing a femoral access device is to optimize the entry, through the femoral artery, for transcatheter aortic heart valve (TAVR) procedures by minimizing push force and complications. Our femoral access device consists of a needle driver block which assists the physician in stabilizing the needle upon entry and an augmented reality system that uses ultrasound to find the current trajectory of the needle and guide the physician along the predetermined angle. The fabricated leg models with differing fat content including a peristaltic pump to mimic human blood flow will be used to validate the feasibility of this device. This differs from similar projects because it is made specifically with TAVR in mind rather than venous entry and is also significantly more affordable. The end deliverable is to create a functional device that uses ultrasound and augmented reality to find the ideal entry location, avoid incorrect puncturing of the femoral artery, and optimize the entrance of the needle to render patient-related factors obsolete. This device will undergo a strict design verification and validation protocol based on formulated acceptance criteria to ensure the device performs as intended. Mentor: Sean Chow, Edwards Lifesciences.