Amelia's Senior Design Team wins 2016 DEBUT Competition with "TB or Not TB"
Amelia's Senior Design Team wins 2016 DEBUT Competition with "TB or Not TB"
Author: | Frederick Damen |
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Event Date: | August 22, 2016 |
The pill collects a gastric acid sample from pediatric patients who cannot cough hard enough to provide a sputum sample. If diagnosed early, and with the correct antibiotic treatment, 93% of patients with TB survive. However, diagnosis is difficult for pediatric patients who lack the force to cough up sputum, and instead swallow it. Current diagnostic practices are invasive, require stable electricity, and must be overseen by a trained clinician. In low resource settings it can be difficult, if not impossible, to conduct these procedures. The smart pill is swallowed and collects gastric samples from the stomach. It stays intact as it moves through the digestive system. The sample, which contains traces of the swallowed sputum, is then analyzed for TB. The pill is low-cost, far less painful for the children, and can be used in areas where experts are not available.