Create
Design Project Gallery
CathAlert: Redesigning Hemodialysis Catheter Testing
- Program: Biomedical Engineering
- Course: EN.580.X12 BME Design Team
- Year: 2026
Project Description:
Over 100,000+ Americans are diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease annually, and 70,000+ begin hemodialysis through a central venous catheter (CVC). Hemodialysis filters waste from blood and requires reliable blood flow of 300 to 500 mL/min through a CVC. Unfortunately, 33% of hemodialysis patients require catheter removal due to inadequate blood flow which leads to delays and emergency catheter exchanges. The current gold standard for checking catheter function is the syringe test, where clinicians manually pull blood and judge resistance by feel. This method is highly operator dependent, meaning a catheter can pass the syringe test but still fail during treatment. CathAlert is a handheld device that detects quantitative changes in CVC flow with increasing occlusion. It standardizes flow testing which effectively eliminates unnecessary delays and emergent CVC exchanges.
Project Photo:
The CathAlert logo features a hemodialysis central venous catheter which represents the project’s mission to standardize catheter flow assessment and prevent treatment delays.
