The Philadelphia Section of the STLE is pleased to award Temple University mechanical engineering graduate student Kavi I. Patel a $1,000 scholarship. Patel is a fifth-year student working under the direction of Professor Parsaoran Hutapea in Temple’s Composites Laboratory.
Patel’s research studies the interfacial mechanics of conventional and composite-coated needles advancing in soft tissues to reduce tissue damage. Due to friction and adhesion at the needle-tissue interface, needle insertion and extraction forces causes tissue damage. To reduce these forces and tissue damage, needles were coated with novel composite materials comprised of Polydopamine (PDA), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and activated carbon (C). PDA, PTFE, and C are bio-compatible and widely used in medical applications. Experiments were conducted to measure the insertion and extraction forces. The coated needle surface properties were analyzed using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The results showed that the composite coating decreased the maximum average insertion and extraction forces by 62% and 64% compared to the conventional needle when tested in Polyvinyl Chloride tissue gel phantoms and by 49% and 30% when tested in bovine kidney tissues. These results were also confirmed by the AFM study that showed that the coating decreases the surface roughness and friction.
Patel’s results verify that the composite coating aids in decreasing the interaction forces, which can
Lead to less invasive surgeries. In addition, reducing the interaction forces will also decrease the tissue deformation, which is critical for accurate needle insertion targeting.
In addition to four conference proceedings/presentations, Patel has published one peer-reviewed paper on his research.