Five Questions and an Elevator Pitch: LacTrax

1. What is the need that your project seeks to address?

Quinn: In the United States, approximately 40,000 pediatric cardiac surgeries are performed every year. Studies we reviewed report that between 25% to 65% of these patients develop low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), particularly those with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Jenny: LCOS is a postoperative complication that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's metabolic demands. This condition is particularly common in pediatric patients due to the immaturity of their myocardial cells, which limits their ability to recover from the physiological stress of cardiac surgery. Considering the high-mortality risk associated with severe cases, this represents a substantial and critical clinical need.

Caio: This syndrome can lead to significant organ damage, including kidney and liver injuries and, in severe cases, it carries up to a 20% risk of death. Current assessment methods often rely on intermittent lactate measurements, as elevated lactate is an early marker of inadequate tissue perfusion or blood passage.

Jenny: Our goal is to develop a solution that not only improves post-surgical monitoring but offers a way to detect LCOS before the onset of organ damage in pediatric intensive care unit patients, following cardiac surgery, to reduce multi-organ dysfunction incidence rates.

2. How does your solution work?

Quinn: Currently, after pediatric cardiac surgery, clinicians use a device called an i-STAT machine to measure lactate levels. This involves drawing blood from the patient every 30 minutes and analyzing it with the device. However, pediatric patients—especially newborns—cannot safely have blood drawn that frequently, as it represents a significant volume of blood loss. As a result, clinicians often reduce the frequency to hourly measurements, potentially missing critical spikes in lactate levels and delaying detection of low cardiac output syndrome.

Our solution is a wearable sensor, similar in concept to a glucose monitor, but specifically designed to continuously track lactate levels. The sensor, about the size of a dollar coin, would be placed on the pediatric patient's skin immediately after surgery. It uses an enzymatic sensor to detect lactate, converting chemical signals into readable data that is transmitted directly to clinicians' phones or computers. By providing continuous, real-time lactate monitoring during the critical first 24 hours after surgery—when patients are most vulnerable—our sensor would enable clinicians to detect problems earlier, respond faster, and reduce the risk of complications.

Julia: One of the biggest challenges we've identified in developing our wearable sensor is simply ensuring it works reliably and accurately for our target population. Because we're designing specifically for pediatric patients, we must carefully consider their unique needs. Pediatric patients have sensitive skin and smaller proportions, and many medical devices today aren't designed with these factors in mind. Ensuring our sensor is safe, comfortable, and effective for pediatric use is a critical challenge we've been keeping at the forefront of our development process.

3. What motivated you to take on the project? And what activities have you undertaken?

Caio: Early on, some of us had the opportunity to shadow cardiac surgeons and pediatric cardiologists. Our clinical mentor, Dr. Brian Han, gave us access to the pediatric intensive care unit where we directly observed numerous clinical challenges and saw firsthand the infants undergoing post-operative monitoring. These experiences left a lasting impression, inspiring us to pursue this project.

Quinn: This presented an exciting opportunity to apply mechanical and electrical engineering skills to create a tangible solution that addresses a clear gap in detection methods. I was drawn to the challenge of designing a device compatible with a newborn’s constant movement and activity in a practical and impactful way.

Caio: Over the past three months, we've focused on mechanically building and refining initial prototypes to test the electrochemical principles behind our sensor. With the Biodesign NEXT award, we plan to transition our approach toward developing a microneedle array. Additionally, we're refining our implementation strategy, creating infographics, and clarifying how our sensor could be integrated into hospital workflows, including considerations around cost, payment, and daily post-operative monitoring routines.

4. What’s the most important thing you learned in advancing your project?

Julia: One of the most important lessons we've learned is to stay centered on our clinical need. It's easy to get swept away by exciting technologies, but would those actually solve the problem we set out to address? It's also crucial to spend time carefully designing experiments and setups that closely mimic real-life conditions to be clinically relevant.

Our team dynamic has also been crucial to our success. Getting to know my teammates outside the classroom has been a rewarding part of this journey. We genuinely enjoy working together, which creates a safe environment for open communication and healthy debate.

Quinn: Going through this entire process has taught us so much about organizing experiments, conducting rigorous scientific testing, and systematically approaching innovation. It's genuinely possible to move from identifying a clinical need to developing a concept, and then actually building a working solution.

Jenny: Honestly, before this project, I never imagined myself capable of taking an idea from concept to creation. This experience has been incredibly empowering. It has fundamentally shifted my perspective on my own abilities and the contributions we can make to medicine.

5. What advice do you have for other aspiring health technology innovators?

Quinn: Innovating in the pediatric healthtech space is unique—you're not just designing for the patient, but also for the parents or caregivers making decisions on their behalf. Keeping this in mind should strongly influence the direction of your innovation.

Julia: I would emphasize the importance of actively engaging with and listening to clinicians who work directly with patients every day. In our case, speaking regularly with cardiologists provided invaluable insights we couldn't have gained otherwise. Clinicians have deep experiential knowledge and can highlight critical considerations you might never think of on your own. Many of the key features we've incorporated into our design came directly from conversations with our clinical mentor.

Caio: Be cautious about relying solely on data or information found online, as most available resources are tailored toward adult populations. Pediatric patients have unique requirements—everything from device dimensions to suitable materials can differ significantly from adult standards. Always keep your target population clearly in mind.

Jenny: Children are often frightened or uncomfortable in hospital settings, so devices designed for them must be soft, gentle, and non-irritating. My advice to other teams working in pediatric healthtech is to also spend extra time carefully considering comfort and emotional safety factors, as they significantly impact the usability and acceptance of your innovation.