Visually-Assisted Split Tip Catheter for Accurate Positioning and Surfactant Administration for Premature Neonates; Theranos and the SCOT Framework: A Case Study in Socially Constructed Deception

In both my technical and STS research projects, I examined how medical technologies are designed, legitimized, and evaluated in clinical contexts, though from very different perspectives. My capstone project focused on the physical development of a new catheter for premature neonates, aiming to improve the accuracy and safety of surfactant delivery through a split-tip and visual assistance mechanism. In contrast, my STS research paper analyzed how technological legitimacy is constructed and sometimes dangerously sustained in the healthcare industry, using the case of Theranos as a lens. While the technical project was grounded in prototyping and iterative design, the STS paper offered a critical reflection on how social forces shape, and sometimes distort, how new technologies are perceived and trusted. Together, both projects explore how credibility, usability, and trust are essential but complex components of medical innovation.

My technical project, completed in collaboration with a classmate, proposed and prototyped a visually-assisted split-tip catheter designed for surfactant administration in premature neonates. The device includes a split tip to allow more equal surfactant distribution to both lungs, and a design channel for a micro fiberscope or fiber optic wire to assist clinicians with accurate placement. Through CAD modeling, force analysis, and iterative design, we evaluated both the structural integrity and visual feasibility of three variations. Stress analysis demonstrated that the clips on our catheter could withstand clinical forces, and we are now moving forward with fluid flow simulations and 3D printing to finalize a functional prototype. The project emphasized not only technical precision but also the importance of clarity and usability in high-stakes neonatal care.

In my STS paper, I used the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework to investigate how Theranos, a now obsolete biotech company, managed to gain and sustain credibility despite offering fraudulent blood-testing technology. I argued that Theranos’ rise and fall can be understood not solely as a case of internal deception, but as a broader socio-technical phenomenon in which investors, regulators, and the media co-constructed a narrative of innovation. Each group brought its own interpretations and expectations to the technology, which allowed Theranos to leverage “interpretive flexibility” and delay scrutiny. I used SCOT to show how legitimacy was socially constructed, and how closure only occurred after investigative journalism and regulatory actions dismantled the dominant narrative.

Working on these projects simultaneously deepened my understanding of how new technologies are evaluated not just through functionality but through narrative and trust. In the capstone, I worked with technical feasibility and user needs, while the STS research pushed me to question how social expectations influence which innovations gain traction. Theranos showed the danger of overlooking independent validation and transparency, lessons I applied directly to our catheter project by emphasizing verifiability and clinical input. Moving forward, I will carry this dual lens of technical rigor and socio-technical awareness into any future work in biomedical engineering.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Technical Advisor: David Kaufman, Nicholas Heitkamp

STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli

Technical Team Members: Amirah Hossein