In open heart surgeries, the heart is temporarily bypassed and machines takeover the pumping function of the heart and oxygenation function of lungs, thus maintaining normal circulation of blood and oxygen supply to the body. The outcome of surgery is better and recovery is faster using advanced pumping technologies such as centrifugal pumps in which precise measurement of blood flowrates is critical. India iscurrently fully dependenton importfor these blood flow meters. The cost of a unit is Rs 25 to 30 Lakhs. Being very expensive, the advanced pumping technology and flow meters are used only in very few super specialty hospitals in India.
The team of Sree ChitraTirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an Institution of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has developed the technology for a simple, advanced and cost-effective blood flow meter. The technical knowhow of the device has been transferred to M/s. EnProductsPvt Ltd for commercial production. The company, based in Kochi, Kerala, manufactures special purpose machines and electronic products and is also specialized in process automation and robotics. “This indigenous technology of blood flow meter will considerably reduce the cost of the device to a few thousands from 25 lakhs and make it available to public hospitals for safer and less expensive cardiac surgeries .SCT has developed technologies for many devices used for cardiac surgeries and this is the latest of them” Dr Asha Kishore, Director, SCTIMST said.
This palm- size device measures the flow rate of blood using a novel magnetic method and a signal conditioning technique. The device has a mechanism to produce a magnetic field, an electronic measurement system and a disposable biocompatible tube fitted with electrodes which are kept over the magnetic field. When blood passes through the tube, under the influence of this magnetic field, a voltage is generated across the electrodes which is proportional to the rate of blood flow . The device has novel methods for generation of the magnetic field and the detection of the voltage. These attributes give the device better accuracy of measurements. The device is portable, smaller than the imported device and can also be operated with battery as a measure to enhance patient safety. The novel concept reduces the cost of production of the device considerably to few thousands of rupees. In addition to its application in bypass surgery, this device can be used for measuring flow of conductive fluids for various industrial applications.
Currently the device has undergone laboratory tests and preclinical animal evaluations and has all the essential features to perform the functions and is compliant with national/international standards and guidelines. It is manufactured using components sourced from established supply chains within the country. The Institute has applied for patent and published two scientific papers based on this technology. The device was developed by the engineering team comprising of Mr.Sarath S Nair, Mr. Vinod Kumar V, Ms.Sreedevi V and Mr.Nagesh DS of the Department of Medical Devices Engineering in Biomedical Technology Wing of the Institute. The preclinical evaluations are conducted by a clinical team comprising of Dr Vivek V Pillai and Dr Bineesh K R of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Dr P R Umasanker and Dr Sachin J Shenoy of Division of In Vivo Models and Testing Divisions.
