An Attempt to Design Low Cost Effective Infusion Devicefor Delivering of Drugs Depending on the Heart Rate

Abstract

Drug administration and accurate fluid infusion is important for optimum management of critically ill neonate. For thus we need continuous and controlled administration of drugs. This method is preferred mode of therapy for acute care. These drugs are continuously sent to the human body intravenously. The various medications used are inotropic agents, vasodilators, aminophylline, insulin, heparin. In this thesis we are basically controlling the flow rate of drug by measuring the heart rate. To detect heart rate we use plethysmography. In this we are actually detecting the pressure wave that is generated when the heart starts pumping. For this we use reflective type photoplethysmograph. For detecting the pulse waveform we can use our finger, the ear lobe, and the foot. In our thesis we have designed the sensor circuit which has a light source for illuminating the target object and a detector for receiving that light from that object. The signal thus obtained is conditioned by using low pass filters and microcontrollers are used for measurement of pulse rate. Then the stepper motor is integrated with the micro controller with the help of motor driver. The micro controller is programmed in such a way that for a particular value of heart beat, there will be preset value of the speed of motor. Once that range of heart value is obtained, depending on the speed of motor, a mechanical set up is prepared which will allow the flow of fluid from the IV bottle. In this way we are actually preventing overinfusion of drug into the human body. This is specially done for those drugs with short half lives, so as to maintain adequate amount of serum concentration.