IV Drip Monitor
On the left is the first integrated prototype, the next on the right, and the final design is shown in the middle.
One thing I headed up was the design of the housing.
IV Drip Monitor
2013 - 2014
One of the most common features of hospital medical care around the world is intravenous therapy (IV therapy). IV therapy is used to deliver a variety of medications, blood transfusions, and hydrating fluids. In order to ensure an effective and safe infusion rate, it is necessary to have some means of monitoring and regulating the flow rate. In the US and other developed countries, infusion pumps are used for this purpose, but these are very expensive and are not an option in most developing countries. In these areas where resources are more scarce, medical staff are required to routinely count drips manually to monitor the flow. As this is not a continuous method, it presents a hazard to the patient. Furthermore, since this method is neither fast nor simple and staff is generally very limited, manually monitoring does not happen nearly as frequently as it should which increases the threat to the patient. A device that could continuously monitor IV flow rates at a price which would be economically feasible for developing countries would allow medical facilities to provide better service and minimize threats presented by IV therapy.
My team worked with BD Medical in Sandy, Utah to create an IV drip monitor to address the above issue. One of the main goals of the project was the economic aspect; the whole purpose was to develop a product that could be produced at a very low cost.
The product developed by the team was also to monitor the drip/flow rate, display the current rate, and alert nearby clinicians when the dosage varies out of range. In addition, the device needed to be intuitive and simplify the execution of a clinician's duties.
After developing an understanding of the opportunity, establishing a set of product requirements, and exploring many concepts, the team settled on an elegant design. The system was decomposed into four main subsystems – sensor, attachment method, housing, and user interface. By dividing the system this way, the team was able to perform detailed and specific engineering activities for each subsystem.
In addition to several proof of concept and method-testing mockups, three prototypes of the above concept were developed. At each iteration, much was learned about the design of the product from assembly methods, to circuit components, to material selection, to overall simplicity, etc.
Although features of the final design are confidential, the team successfully moved the design towards achieving of the main objective of developing a low-cost IV drip monitor.