Design and Fabrication of a New MHD Micropump for Continuous Subcutaneous Infusion to Thalassemia Major Patients

Background: In recent decades, reducing the size of the drug delivery systems along with precise control of the amount of drug pumped, has attracted the attention of many researchers. Objectives: The slow subcutaneous infusion of the deferoxamine in thalassemia major patients during day is of vital importance either for the drug effectiveness. However, this is difficult to achieve due to the large size of the conventional infusion pumps and their high weight. Therefore, size and weight reduction of the infusion pumps are very important issues that must be well addressed. Methods: A biomedical micropump for drug solution infusion to human body based on the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) concept is and designed, and its performance experimentally is investigated in this research. The key challenge in the fabrication of the micropump is its size, weight, bubble generation, and high operating voltage. Results: The present design is well responded to these problems. The final design operates with a 1.2 v without any bubble generation, while its size and weight are 20 × 40 × 50 mm3 and 90 grams, respectively. The size of the micropump is about 1/3 size of conventional micropump, while its weight is half of them. Conclusions: Therefore, the newly designed micropump has the ability to inject the drug solution to thalassemia major patients with a sufficient infusion rate during the day without disturbing them, so it can increase their quality of life and increase their life expectancy.

Investigation on magnetometer as potential sensors for infusion pump utilisation status

The utilisation of medical device e.g. an infusion pump is commonly treated as non-trivial process in service and maintenance section albeit in actuality, it is a crucial process for determining its correct maintenance cycle. Therefore, a discussion on the capability of magnetometer sensor as one of potential sensors to be used to keep track the utilisation status of infusion pump. The variation of magnetic flux density and its frequency produced by the stepper motor inside the infusion pump is measured and analysed through magnetometer sensor, embedded inside a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device. Obtained result shows that magnetometer sensor has the potential to track the utilisation status of the tested infusion pumps.

Alarm fatigue in infusion pumps in the pediatric context: integrative review / Fadiga de alarmes em bombas de infusão no contexto pediátrico: revisão integrativa

Objetivo: identificar as causas da fadiga de alarmes em estudos de usabilidade de bomba de infusão em terapia intensiva pediátrica. Métodos: Realizou-se uma revisão integrativa nas bases de dados LILACS, SciELO, IBECS, SCOPUS e MEDLINE. Resultados: Foram identificadas 1.164 publicações e selecionados seis estudos primários que emergiram em duas temáticas: compreender as causas dos alarmes da bomba de infusão que constou: biblioteca de fármacos incompleta, limites absolutos e relativos rígidos, falta de protocolo de preparo e administração de medicação, período de férias dos funcionários; e as medidas que podem evitar a fadiga de seus alarmes.Conclusão:falhas na usabilidade de bombas de infusão aumentam os alarmes desnecessários que podem promovem sua fadiga. A utilização segura de bombas de infusão demanda uma equipe que monitore suas práticas e atue promovendo mudanças no contexto de trabalho.