Microfluidic Bioelectrical Impedance Drug Delivery Device for Patients with Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel microfluidic bioelectrical impedance device designed to detect muscle contractions and deliver medication for COPD patients during acute exacerbations, offering an alternative to inhalers.

Contribution

The study introduces a new bioelectrical impedance device prototype for targeted drug delivery in COPD management, combining design, simulation, and initial testing.

Findings

Device can detect muscle contractions related to COPD episodes

Prototype successfully manufactured and tested for functionality

Potential to provide quick relief during bronchospasm episodes

Abstract

Inhalers with corticosteroids and muscle relaxants are prescribed by pulmonologists to mitigate bronchospasms that happen due to tightening of the chest. An adhesive patch attached to a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can relieve episodes of bronchospasms in the event the prescribed inhaler is not nearby. This paper shows the design and programming created to manufacture such a device. Methods: Electrical components were connected to a 3D model created in AutoCAD Fusion 360 in the order of inches. The model was imported, and simulation tests were evaluated in COMSOL Multiphysics. The device was 3D printed in the Makerspace at Hofstra University and tested for functionality. Results: The proposed design is a macromodel prototype of the micromodel adhesive patch that will attach above the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle on one side of the neck and be created in a microelectronics laboratory. Conclusion: The designed bioelectrical impedance device can detect severe muscle contractions related to the tensing and thickening of the SCM to deliver muscle relaxants to relieve acute exacerbations in patients with COPD. Significance: With this microfluidic drug delivery device even if the patient has forgotten to carry their inhaler, they are able to be relieved of the suffocating bronchospasm episode quickly and inhale their prescribed medication.