Medical Design Briefs - June 2022 - 10

Miniaturized Liquid Flow Sensors
WEARABLE
SMART
INJECTORS
■
enable patients to receive
therapeutics at home.
■
enable therapy to be monitored
in real time and remotely.
■ reduce effort and cost for
patients, healthcare providers
and insurers.
effi ciency of medical staff to help reduce
overall treatment costs. Digital
helpers can play an important role by
improving collaboration between nurses,
doctors, and management, providing
additional safety by monitoring
drug delivery and treatment and allowing
more data-driven interpretation of
treatment plans and a faster response to
changing patient conditions.
Nevertheless, it is assumed that the
COVID-19 experience will continue to
speed up and ease barriers to the development
of modern healthcare solutions.
New portable or wearable designs enable
patients to manage their conditions safely
at home, with more individualized,
fl exible treatment options supported by
remote monitoring.
From a macroeconomic viewpoint,
digitalization is associated with decreasing
prices for electronic components.
This not only justifi es new
equipment pricing, but also enables
medical device manufacturers to invent
new designs by adding new value
to them. Directly documented feedback
about ongoing treatment for patients
and doctors is an example. For
example, the electronic health record
(EHR) of hospital treatments and diagnosis
is also likely to become mandatory
in-home care someday.
Another driving factor is the increasing
trends coming from health insurers.
Pharmaceutical and insurance companies
have been moving toward proof
of use or effectiveness of therapy (e.g.,
for continuous positive airway pressure
devices, CPAPs) and drugs, in order to
receive full payment or reimbursement.
Smart inhalers that measure the inhaled
fl ow profi le and dose actuation, for ex10
Cov
MDB
Sensirion Sensors Feature 0622_1.indd 10
ample, are already able to prove that
the drug was taken correctly. Overall,
digital data such as this is helping to
build the Internet of Medical Things
(IoMT) for the benefi t of patients,
caregivers, and payers.
Biopharmaceuticals as a
Driving Force
Whether for personalized or participatory
patient care, precision
medicine and advancements in biotechnology
also have an impact on
self-care trends. Compared to conventional
medicines, the use of
high-value drugs enables diseases to
be treated in a more targeted way
with fewer side effects.
Unlike chemically synthesized
drugs, biopharmaceuticals are made
of complex structures from microorganisms,
mammalian cells, or plant
extracts. For example, they include
proteins that stimulate blood cell formation,
insulin, or antibodies that inhibit
the growth of cancer cells. These
high-value drugs also improve the opportunities
to cure other previously
untreatable diseases like autoimmune
disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,
or neurological disorders.
However, because they must be administered
parenterally, biopharmaceuticals
are still not well accepted.
Due to the large size of the molecules,
the most prevalent mode is intravenous
infusion. Large-volume administration
requires clinical support, which
means that therapy costs are added to
already high production costs.
MINIATURIZED
LIQUID FLOW
SENSORS
ENABLE LVI TO
■ measure the fl ow rate
directly and bidirectionally to
confi rm the administered
fl uid volume in real time.
■
monitor system performance
and guarantee reliable failure
detection.
Visualization of a sensor and pump solution in a
subcutaneous drug-delivery device. Miniaturized
fl ow sensors enable precise dosing in terms of
fl ow rate as well as administered volume and enable
automatic failure detection.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
ToC
5/25/22 2:46 PM
■
enable connected solutions
for therapy monitoring and
tracking by all stakeholders.
Medical Design Briefs, June 2022
Credit: Sensirion
http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - June 2022

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