Primary Applications of Pressure Sensors in Medical Technology

MedTech Outlook | Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Differential pressure sensors are employed in drug delivery systems to measure and control the flow of liquids into the patient.

FREMONT, CA: Many medical devices today rely on precise and steady pressure measurements to function correctly. Furthermore, in the form of home health monitoring, patient care is moving beyond the hospital and the general practitioner’s office and into patients’ homes. As a result, working with pressure sensors has become an essential aspect of producing medical apps. Look at three different applications of pressure sensors in medical technology below.

Getting The Blend Right In Medical Ventilators

A ventilator aids a patient’s breathing function by mixing air with pure oxygen. Differential or gauge pressure sensors are typically installed between valves and regulators to ensure the proper mixing of air and oxygen. Small surface-mount sensors are excellent for this purpose; they are typically specified for a pressure range of 2in or 5in H2O and come with either analog or digital (I2C) outputs. Despite their tiny size and low power consumption, low-pressure sensors frequently have an integrated DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that compensates for non-linearity, offsets, and temperature effects.

Delivering Hyperbaric Therapy

Hyperbaric therapy involves increasing the air pressure in a sealed chamber housing a patient, and it can help with a variety of ailments. It is used to help divers with decompression sickness and patients with skin grafts or burn injuries. In addition, it is also suitable for treating carbon monoxide overdose and some necrotizing infections.

Pressure sensors are used to monitor and control the amount of pressure applied during treatment by monitoring the pressure inside the chamber. An absolute pressure sensor capable of monitoring pressures up to roughly 100 kPa is usually used for this.

Even the most industrial of therapies is making inroads into patients’ homes, as ‘soft’ chambers become more widely available, albeit at lower pressures than professional-grade ‘hard’ chambers. A soft chamber will typically require gauge pressure sensors that can measure between 0.3 and 0.5 bar, but a hard chamber will require gauge pressure sensors that can measure up to 6 bar.

Automating Drug Infusion

Drugs supplied in liquid form and other types of fluids, such as for rehydration, can be beneficial treatments. These fluids are commonly provided using infusion pumps and can be given intravenously, subcutaneously, or directly into a vein. The pumps use several sensors, including gauge and differential pressure sensors, to closely monitor and control the flow of liquid to guarantee the correct volume of fluid is supplied at the correct rate.

Differential pressure sensors are employed in drug delivery systems to measure and control the flow of liquids into the patient. This guarantees that the appropriate amount of medications are supplied at the appropriate time throughout the day and night without requiring constant medical monitoring. Differential pressure sensors are typically calibrated to monitor flow rates between 0.5 and 10.0 micro liters per minute.