Towards Automation in Pleural Aspiration: Design, Development and Verification*

This paper introduces a novel automated system for small-volume pleural effusion aspiration procedures. The traditional reliance on clinician experience in manual pleural aspiration can lead to fatigue, insufficient medical resources, as well as variability in outcomes due to human errors and complications during the procedure. The proposed system uses automation to ensure a consistent and standardised approach, aiming at improving procedure efficacy and safety. The setup includes a medical syringe supplemented by 3D-printed components, driven by a linear actuator, and an infrared proximity sensor for the closed-loop system. We controlled the fluid aspirated speed, achieving a minimum plunger movement speed of about 2 mm/s and measuring plunger displacement as a proxy for aspirated liquid volume. Experiments verified the system's performance across different speeds, with a mean error of 2 mm in the closed-loop tests.