Premature babies are a little population with a big vulnerability, and thanks to modern technology, even the tiniest preterm baby has a shot at survival. However, in low-to-mid income countries (LMIC), these babies don’t receive the nutrients they desperately need to gain weight and grow. The bulk of the calories come from the fat in breast milk. Like any other milk product, the milk and cream separate over time without agitation. If fed directly through an enteral tube, the fat adheres to the sides of the syringe and tube and never makes it to the baby’s mouth. Hospital NICU’s in the states are equipped with mechanical and chemical ways to keep milk fat from separating, but these options are prohibitively expensive for LMIC.
Enter: MilkyWaves, a small, low-cost electronic device that heats and vibrates breast milk. It attaches to a syringe of any size and fits into a syringe pump for enteral feeding. By keeping the components mixed, the baby can consume more calories, gain weight faster, and be discharged to go home sooner. That’s more quality time spent at home, and thousands of dollars less spent keeping the baby in the NICU.
MilkyWaves prototype from last year’s team
MilkyWaves began two years ago as a Short Course project, grew into a successful graduation project, and then was passed down to GMI last year. This year, Hannah and I will be leading a team to continue developing and implementing this project as part of BIOE 528/530: Medical Technology Implementation. Last week, we met with Jorge and Guiselle, our project advisors and former graduation project team, to learn more about the background of the project and to flesh out a general plan for the semester. Currently, there is a functioning prototype with a freshly scaled-down PCB that is being bench tested at Hospital de Niños in Costa Rica. This year, we’ll be making further improvements to the software, making the case and user interface, and begin organizing a clinical trial to test the efficacy of the device’s method on improving neonatal birth weights. We’re both excited for the challenge and determined to make serious progress with this project this year. The semester can’t start soon enough!
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Internship updates: This week, I exercised my graphic design skills and wrote (in English and Spanish) and designed an instruction manual for upcoming usability tests with doctors. I also started to work on the Design FMEA that I mentioned last week. Nicole (my supervisor) has kicked me out of the nest to fly solo. She’s going to be out of the country for the remainder of my internship, and we’ll still be in frequent contact about my deliverables, but maybe not as frequently as when I’d be at her desk every hour with a question.
Also, I’m officially banned from discussing anything more in-depth than that about my project because of this exciting piece of news, which means I have to be extra careful about NDA. Sorry, loyal readers.
Fun fact, Nicole was on the original short course MilkyWaves team!
Three Activities in Monteverde
- Hiking through the cloud forest – We hiked for a few hours through Monteverde Park. This is my favorite hike that we’ve done so far. The air was so still and cool and had a slightly misty appearance, making the entire route seem mystical and a little eerie. We’ve really lucked out with the weather, too, as it didn’t rain much at all, and the path was wide and not muddy.
- Night hike – Not for the faint of heart. With help from our eagle-eyed tour guide, we ventured into the pitch-black jungle armed with flashlights and saw more animals than we would have during the day: snakes, frogs, scorpions, tarantulas, toucans, motmots, coatis, and the elusive sloth.
- Ziplining – We took on the 100% Aventuras ziplining course, which touts having the “longest zip line in Latin America” clocking in at 1590 meters long, Superman-style lines, and a Tarzan swing with a 45-meter freefall. The view from the top of the forest was breathtaking – it truly felt like flying.
Bonus: Week 8 Exotic Fruit Bingo: Passionfruit: AGAIN? No, this one is different from the granadilla. The passionfruit has a dark purple hull and custard-yellow seeds. Its taste differs from the granadilla in that it is much tarter, more strong (but similar) flavor, and identical texture overall.
