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Surgeons across the country are asked everyday to perform surgical operations with precision and care. But they need the right tools in order for them to be successful.��

A group of seniors in the��Biomedical Engineering program (BME) at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder are working to provide those tools by designing a next-generation Argon Beam Coagulator during their��senior capstone design course.

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Team 6's next-generation Argon Beam Coagulator being demonstrated using a banana.

The project, sponsored by��, funnels ionized argon gas into a pencil-shaped handheld device that surgeons can use during various procedures. The argon gas, ionized by a high-voltage electrode, produces a plasma beam emitting from the tip of the handheld device allowing surgeons to cut tissue and minimize bleeding at the same time.��

“When you suspend a beam of argon and ionize it in a plasma, you can reduce the risk of charring or burning to the tissue,” said design engineer and quality assurance manager Creighton Tisdale. “Let’s take a complete knee joint replacement, for example. Clearing out all of the oxygen is pretty crucial and it ensures that there is no extra damage or major bleeding.”

Their iteration of the device aims to expand functionality by offering surgeons a more customizable and adaptive approach. Instead of developing an all-in-one system, the team was tasked with designing a modular device, addressing key cost and practicality issues.

“The premise of our work is offering versatility,” said project manager Devon Mckeon. “Our goal was to create a device that is accessible, so that operating rooms around the world only need to purchase the components that they need, and they can service only the modules that have failed instead of the entire system.”

But perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the project is the handheld device’s detachable grip extension. After consulting with real doctors early on in the design process, the group realized that some surgeons preferred the pencil grip while others preferred a more vertical grip-style attachment.

Instead of choosing one or the other, the group decided to implement both approaches to ensure all surgeons can have the comfortable, ergonomic support of their preference.

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CONMED engineer and BME alum Mia Fox testing the argon beam module on an apple.

“You can use the device like you would a pencil. It’s like having a little lightsaber in your hand,” Mckeon said. “But for surgeons who are working from the side that need to keep their wrist straight to cut through the tissue, they can attach the vertical grip and have that capability.”

Coming to this realization was one key to the success of their project, but the team said it wasn’t always easy. Navigating the results of their human factors testing or the thoughts of real-world surgeons made it difficult to settle on specific design specifications.

“One of the surgeons looked at us during one of our meetings and told us ‘you can have 10 surgeons in a room and 11 different opinions,’” said Tisdale with a sneaky smile on his face. “It’s funny, but it’s true.”

Understanding how to work alongside physicians and provide health professionals with tangible solutions is one of the many lessons that the BME program provides students during their senior capstone experience. Whether it was solving device communication issues or making several long drives up to CONMED’s facility in the Denver Tech Center, the group learned a lot about how to manage the design process from beginning to end.

But their sights are no longer in the past. The team says they are excited to show the campus community what they’ve been working on at this year’s��Engineering Expo event.

“We are definitely leaning into the showmanship aspect of our project, especially because it’s a really cool end result that we are all proud of,” Mckeon said. “Our biggest goal is to have expo attendees stop by our booth, put on a pair of gloves and try out the different ergonomic attachments. And then we’ll get to demonstrate the argon beam by cutting a steak.”

This year’s Engineering Expo is on Friday, April 25 at the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Indoor Practice Facility from 2-5 p.m. Make sure to drop by and check out all the exciting projects in action!