Development of a miniaturized IV drip rate meter using optical sensors and fuzzy rule based detection algorithm

The gravity IV administration set is widely used with its inherent advantages. However, one big problem in using the traditional IV infusion set is the difficulty in confirming the infusion rate and total infused volume. By counting the number of drips in the administration chamber, it is possible to monitor the infusion rate with high accuracy. We developed a miniaturized drip rate meter which is mountable on the drip chamber of a commercial IV infusion set to provide accurate infusion rate as well as total infused volume. The developed system comprises optical sensor, amplifier circuit, detection algorithm in microcontroller, LCD display and select switch. The features of the developed system include switched LED operation, differential mode optical detectors and fuzzy rule based detection algorithm. Results of the evaluation tests verified the performance of the developed system.