Development of Pediatric Intravenous Flow Rate Monitor for Humanitarian Settings
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2025-08-15
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Bachelor Thesis
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Abstract
In many humanitarian hospitals and pediatric wards, the absence of affordable infusion monitoring devices forces staff to rely on gravity-fed intravenous sets and minimal supervision, making continuous rate monitoring difficult and prone to dangerous errors.
This thesis presents Dripito, an open-source, low-cost, battery-powered optical intravenous flow monitor that clips onto the drip chamber and counts drops to estimate flow rate and total volume.
A prototype comprising an infrared light source and sensor, low-power embedded electronics, and a compact 3D-printed enclosure was developed and evaluated under benchtop conditions, with expert feedback collected on usability and deployment.
In a 15-minute test against a manual reference, Dripito differed by one drop out of 1,430 counted, an error of 0.07%. In a 10-minute gravimetric test, the device missed no drops but underestimated flow by 10% when a nominal drop factor was assumed. This discrepancy was traced to a worn dial in the flow controller, revealing a potentially useful quality-control signal.
Power modeling from component data predicts about 39 hours in continuous-LED operation and about 20 days with intermittent sensing and microcontroller sleep from a single household battery (AA type). The bill of materials at 1,000 units totals 9.17 Swiss francs per device, excluding assembly and compliance. Expert interviews endorsed the concept while highlighting priorities for refinement, including alarm, robustness, and power options.
Dripito achieves precise drop counting at very low cost and targets multi-day autonomy, addressing a clear need where infusion pumps are unavailable. Flow estimation remains sensitive to drop size. Trials incorporating calibration and usability testing are essential next steps toward safe deployment.
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published
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ETH Zurich
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Subject
Intravenous therapy; Flow monitoring; Humanitarian health; Pediatric care; Low-cost medical devices; Optical sensors; Battery-powered electronics; Open-source hardware
Organisational unit
09746 - Tilley, Elizabeth / Tilley, Elizabeth
Notes
Prototype development and benchtop validation of an open-source, low-cost intravenous flow monitor for pediatric and humanitarian settings.