Date of Award

Fall 2024

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

John R LaCourse

Second Advisor

Wayne J Smith

Third Advisor

Alyssa O'Brien

Abstract

Injectable drug delivery is an extremely commonplace procedure in the world ofmedicine, with over 16 billion injections administered annually. Due to the high vascularity of muscle tissue, the intramuscular (IM) route is preferred for many antibiotic, biological, and hormonal drugs. Appropriate needle length plays a critical role in the success of IM injection, ensuring that the drug is deposited in the core muscle. Instances of over- or under-penetration are associated with reduced drug bioavailability and vaccine related injury. Unfortunately, guidelines for needle length selection do not always yield positive results due to practitioner error or adverse patient physiology. This thesis investigates the design of a low-cost, portable, and intuitive tissue detection system designed to mitigate IM injection failure. The system incorporates measurements of biological tissue impedance and hypodermic needle acceleration to detect transitions between tissue layers, ensuring that the medicant is delivered effectively.

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