VAC: Single-Handed Aspirator for
Thyroid Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy
VAC is a vacuum-operated syringe adapter. It fits onto a standard syringe and, using the syringe's plunger
to create a vacuum within the barrel, allows easy single-handed aspiration with a simple push of the button.
Thyroid Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy is a procedure done to assess if a nodule in the thyroid is cancerous.
It is done using ultrasound to locate the nodule in the thyroid gland, and with the ultrasound imagine as a guide, cells are removed from the nodule via fine needle aspiration (FNA).
Because doctors have to hold the ultrasound probe with one hand, the FNA has to be performed single-handedly.
This is problematic because current syringe designs are not optimised for single-handed aspiration.
This results in instability when aspirating, compromising accuracy and safety in a delicate procedure.
How might we optimise the syringe for single-handed aspiration
in procedures which require precision targeting?
in procedures which require precision targeting?
Prototyping for the optimal mechanism that allows for 1. an airtight pinch valve, and 2. ease of single-handed release
Supported by a plunger stopper to prevent the plunger from sliding down (by the force of the vacuum)
before it is manually released to expel the collected cells
This project is a collaboration between NUS Division of Industrial Design & National University Hospital (NUH) Division of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery.
Project By: Priscillia Lim, Ng Tse Pei, Delia Lim
Supervised By: Dr. Yen Ching-Chiuan, Mr. Ulrich Schraudolph
