The staff at Flinders Biomedical Engineering (FBE) have a wide range of experiences and activities in the biomedical field prior to and additional to their work at Flinders Medical Centre.
Staff Activity Summary
| Nov 2003 | Biomedical Engineering from Brunei to Adelaide Anne-Louise Smith made a presentation to a HESTA (Health & Exercise Sciences Technologists seminar on her 2 years experience in Brunei |
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| Sep 2003 | No more oranges for anaesthetists Olivia Pallotta gave a presentation to the Royal Institution of Great Britain on the epidural simulator she developed with Jodie Wilson | |
| Sep 2002 | Epidural Simulator Olivia Pallotta was interviewed on the Radio National Science Show about the epidural simulator she developed with Jodie Wilson |
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| Sep 2002 | Better than an orange Epidural simulator featured in New Scientist | |
| Jun 2002 | Practising to deliver pain free birth The Advertiser by Health Reporter Jill Pengelley | |
| Jun 2002 | Simulator lowers epidural risks Olivia Pallotta and Jodie Wilson were featured in the FMC News after commercialisation plans were made for the epidural simulator they developed |
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| 2001 | 2001 Young Biomedical Engineer of the Year Olivia Pallotta received this award for her work on a portable gait analysis laboratory | |
| Jul 2001 | Cricoid Pressure Trainer Gary Burgess was featured in the Flinders Technologies "Tech Talk" for his participation in the devlopment of the Cricoid Pressure Trainer | |
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Staff Activities
Biomedical engineering from Brunei to Adelaide
Nov 2003 - Anne-Louise Smith made a presentation to a HESTA, Health & Exercise Sciences Technologists seminar on her 2 years biomedical engineering experience at Jerudong Park Medical Centre in Brunei, South-East Asia
Biomedical Engineering usually involves medical equipment in hospitals – ensuring the equipment is available, safe and reliable, and that the clinicians know how to use it effectively. But Biomedical Engineering is occasionally much more than this. She discussed the different requirements of technology and its management in a foreign country.
 Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Brunei |
No more oranges for anaesthetists - Talking Point, Royal Institution
of GB
Sept 2003 - Olivia Pallotta gave a presentation to the Royal Institution of Great Britain on the epidural simulator she developed with Jodie Wilson.
Imagine you are in long and painful labour. Your anaesthetist advises that an ‘epidural’ will relieve your pain. This involves inserting a large needle through the various tissues of your back into a small space close to your spine known as the epidural space, where the anaesthetic must be delivered. However this space is only 1 mm thick. If he pushes too far he may cause a postdural puncture or temporary muscle weakness. Of course the anaesthetist has practiced this delicate, highly skilled and risky procedure, but only on a piece of fruit – a simple orange. Olivia has developed a simulator that provides a better training environment for medical practitioners than a simple orange. The simulator, which looks and feels human on the outside but contains clever electronics on the inside, has been designed to mimic and replicate the anatomy of the human spine with great accuracy. Olivia will talk about medical simulators and in particular the Epidural Injection Simulator.
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Epidural Simulator - The
Science Show, Radio National
28 Sept 2002 - Olivia Pallotta was interviewed by Robyn Williams on the Radio National Science Show about the epidural simulator she developed with Jodie Wilson
Would you fly in a jumbo jet if you thought the pilot had practiced only on a model aeroplane? The answer is obvious, but equally alarming is the scenario of having an epidural in childbirth when the anaesthetist has only practiced on an orange. Well, a young Australian scientist has developed an epidural simulator, so student anaesthesiologists can throw away their oranges and women can breath a sigh of relief. Transcript
Better than an orange - New Scientist
14 Sept 2002 - Article featured the epidural simulator
Childbirth is stressful enough without worrying that the anaesthetist probably practised giving epidurals on an orange. Epidural injections are tricky because the needle must pierce a tough ligament before it bursts into the narrow epidural space. Injecting into an orange supposedly mimics that feeling.
Now engineer Olivia Pallotta and colleagues at Flinders University in Adelaide have designed a more sophisticated simulator that could reduce the risk of spinal damage. The student inserts the needle through a hole in the back of a mannequin, where it lodges in a small rubber filled cylinder. To mimic the feeling of pushing through layers of skin, fat and ligaments, a computerised motor adjusts the position of the cylinder to simulate the right amount of "give" in response to the pressure the student exerts.
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Practising to deliver pain free birth
The Advertiser 20 June 2002 by Health Reporter Jill Pengelley
TWO South Australians have developed a simulator to train anaesthetists to give epidurals to women in labour. More than one-third of women in the state opt for an epidural to block the pain of childbirth - but the procedure is not without its risks. For the anaesthetist, it may be the first time he or she has performed the procedure on anything but a bag of oranges. The risk is that the needle will puncture the dura - a sac surrounding the spinal cord - causing the woman to have severe headaches for days or even weeks - after the birth.
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Biomedical engineers Olivia Pallotta and Jodie Wilson, both 23, have invented a simulator that replicates the forces generated by the different layers a needle goes through before reaching the epidural space. Their honours project at Flinders University is heading for commercial development and is being used to train anaesthetists at Flinders Medical Centre. Flinders University Associate Professor Harry Owen, who proposed the project, said yesterday he expected trainees would perform one or two accidental punctures on patients in their first year. "They generally learn on patients," he said. "This year, when our two new trainees started here, they both did about 20 (simulated) epidurals before they went and did it on patients. "They were much more skilled and both quite confident. "If this model avoids one dural puncture, it will have paid for itself," he said. Professor Owen said a misjudged epidural injection could give a woman a headache that lasted weeks. It usually required more time in hospital and often another epidural to correct the problem. In the meantime, the woman was in too much pain to spend time with her new baby. Miss Pallotta and Miss Wilson have secured jobs in research and development at the hospital's biomedical engineering department. "It's amazing that something that Jodie and I have made is actually helping," Miss Pallotta said. "I think it's fantastic that they can use it to practise now." |
 Jodie Wilson and Olivia Pallotta with their invention, an epidural simulator. |
Epidural Process
- Epidurals are a type of anaesthesia that free a woman from a painful birth.
- They are commonly used during caesarean section when the woman wishes to be "awake and aware".
- Briefly, a local anesthetic is injected into the lumbar region of the woman's back, and then a long needle is inserted into the epidural space outside the last of the three membranes that cover the spinal cord.
- This needle makes a hole into the epidural space, and through it a soft catheter is threaded.
- The needle is then removed and the catheter is taped to the skin.
- At its end a small filter and stopper are attached, through which doses of anesthetic can periodically be administered.
- The whole process takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Simulator lowers epidural risks - FMC News
June 2002 - Olivia Pallotta and Jodie Wilson were featured in the
FMC News after commercialisation plans were made for the
epidural simulator they developed.
An epidural simulator has been invented to help anaesthetists avoid complications when giving epidurals during childbirth.
An epidural injection simulator invented by Biomedical Engineering students now working at Flinders Medical Centre could significantly reduce the risks associated with epidural during childbirth. More than 40% of women choose to have an epidural to alleviate pain during childbirth at Flinders Medical Centre. An epidural works by using anaesthetic to block nerve roots in the epidural space near the spinal cord, which lead to the uterus and lower parts of the body.
Olivia Pallotta and Jodie Wilson designed the simulator for their honours project in the Biomedical Engineering course at Flinders University. Their supervisors were Dr Karen Reynolds and Prof Harry Owen (FUSA). Olivia said the simulator would enable anaesthetists to rehearse the epidural procedure and provides a realistic training method. "The device replicates the forces generated by the different layers a needle must pass through to get to the epidural space. It provides resistance to the user that an anaesthetist could expect to feel when administering an epidural," she said. "The simulator will help anaesthetists to avoid complications that are asociated with administration of epidurals, such as postdural puncture headache."
Severe headaches can last for days if a membranous sac surrounding the spinal cord is accidentally punctured during the epidural procedure. A headache is caused by a leakage of spinal fluid from the sac or by accidental injection of air into the spinal fluid.
Olivia was recently awarded a national prize by the Institute of Electronic Engineers for presenting her work on the simulator and has received an invitation to attend an international conference in the United Kingdom. It is the 4th consecutive year that a Flinders University engineering student has claimed the national award. Plans are now underway for commercial development of the simulator.
 Olivia Pallotta and Jodie Wilson demonstrate the epidural simulator. |
2001 Young Biomedical Engineer of the Year
The 2001 Young Biomedical Engineer of the Year award was presented to Olivia Pallotta from Flinders University, for her work on a portable gait analysis laboratory. Gait analysis provides data for accurate diagnosis of lower limb problems and accurate provision and tuning of prosthetic devices. Palotta's device requires no patient contact and will allow for accurate gait analysis data to be available from more patients currently unable to access current gait laboratories.
PORTABLE GAIT LABORATORY FOR GAIT ANALYSIS - ABSTRACT
O. Pallotta
Introduction
Correct prosthetic alignment is crucial. Poorly aligned prosthetics
can result in gait changes, which may lead to secondary complications.
The current method of prosthetic evaluation at the Repatriation
General Hospital involves examining the patient's anterior, posterior
and lateral gait while in motion. This process is problematic; it
requires the patient to remain in motion until all angles are viewed
and an agreed conclusion regarding limb alignment is formed. To
alleviate these problems the Portable Gait Laboratory (PGL) was
designed to aid gait analysis. The PGL is capable of tracking a
patient's movement and filming posterior, anterior and lateral gait.
This footage can then be utilised for gait analysis.
Material and Methods
Ultrasonic sensing is utilised to determine the distance from the
patient to the on board cameras and thus providing an input signal
to the control system. A PID controller implemented on a PIC micro-controller
is used to control the speed and direction of the motor to move
smoothly and appropriately with the patient. The camera footage
is transmitted live and viewed on a PC where it can be stored and
retrieved for later use.
| Results and Discussion Conclusion |
 Portable Gait Laboratory |
Cricoid Pressure Trainer
July 2001 - Gary Burgess was featured in the Flinders Technologies Tech Talk for his participation in the devlopment of the Cricoid Pressure Trainer.
Cricoid pressure, known as 'Sellicks Manoeuvre', is standard practice in anaesthesia intubation. It is used to prevent the regurgitation of gastric and oesophageal contents during anaesthetic intubation. The application of cricoid pressure is difficult to perform optimally. The incorrect application of cricoid pressure can have serious consequences including death. Therefore, training and maintenance of skills in the correct technique is crucial. Trainees do not have enough experience in applying cricoid pressure techniques before they are required to administer the technique on patients.
There was a need to develop a product that specifically adressed and solved the problem faced by the medical profession and medical teaching staff.
The Cricoid Pressure Trainer was developed to solve this problem. It is a lifelike medical model that enables trainees to learn and revise skills for the correct position and pressure to be applied for the optimal amount of time. Invented by Associate Harry Owen (Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care) and by Dr Karen Reynolds and Mr Gary Burgess (Faculty of Science and Engineering) at Flinders University, the Cricoid Pressure Trainer has arisen from experienced anaesthetisis and biomedical engineers who understand the optimal design and function of medical models, manikins and simulators.
This device is an example of market driven research which has a number of overseas companies very interested. Markets are: Anaesthesia Deartments, Operating Theatres, emergency Departments, Critical Care Medical Units, Paramedic Training.
Flinders Technologies is in the process of commercialising the Cricoid Pressure Trainer and as part of the process, a patent application has been lodged. Also a Global Strategy Business Report on Training Manikins has been obtained and a CD movie produced to illustrate the features of the Cricoid Pressure Trainer. Feedback from medical training companies in the USA and Europe has been extremely positive. A number of companies are interested in the Cricoid Pressure Trainer because it addresses and solves a very real problem.
 Associate Professor Harry Owen, Dr Karen Reynolds and Mr Gary Burgess, inventors of the Cricoid Pressure Trainer |