Flow, level & control
tÜv sÜd nel launches test facility to improve infusion patient safety T
ÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) has launched the UK’s first traceable, dynamic micro-flow
measurement test facility for medical infusion devices, as part of a European-wide research programme to improve dosing accuracy. Due to the widespread use of infusion in hospitals, dosing errors are common, causing morbidity and mortality. NEL’s new Micro-flow Measurement Facility will calibrate and test the performance of medical microfluidic infusion systems to ensure accurate delivery of fluids for a range of products, such as syringe pumps and infusion device analysers. NEL has developed the facility as part of its research work with MeDD II, the Metrology for Drug Delivery project funded by the European Metrology Research Programme (EMPIR), which aims to develop traceable calibration services for drug delivery systems for flow rates down to 1 µL/min. The Micro-flow Measurement Facility will provide traceable flow rate measurements in the range of 1 µL/min to 10 mL/min, to assess the performance of devices and ensure accurate fluids delivery. The facility is capable of measuring changes in flow rates and hence the performance of drug delivery devices to identify fluctuations or spikes in drug dosing. Dr. Emmelyn Graham, life sciences consultant
at NEL, says: “There have been numerous injuries, deaths and adverse health effects associated with the use of infusion pumps. Medical devices are usually calibrated and tested by manufacturers before use, but there is very limited ongoing performance reassessment by
end-users. In the UK alone, approximately 80 to 90 per cent of hospitalised patients receive intravenous therapy. So, it is vital that medication and fluid delivery is accurate and precisely controlled over time, especially for critical drugs at high concentration.” “A well-defined metrological infrastructure is
therefore required to prevent incorrect measurements and significantly improve patient safety. This will allow infusion pump manufacturers to include more robust and precise information on the dose delivered to the
Brooks instrument opens new manufacturing, service and applications support centre
flow controllers used extensively in semiconductor manufacturing. The new facility, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi
B
Province, significantly increases the company’s operational footprint in Korea. It includes a significantly larger Class 100 clean room manufacturing area, as well as increased space for engineering, service and sales support. Brooks Instrument has operated in Korea for
nearly 25 years. The company moved from its previous location in Korea to the larger Yongin facility to better serve the needs of the fast- growing semiconductor manufacturing sectors locally and throughout the Asia Pacific region. “With the anticipated continued growth of
the semiconductor industry, we wanted to relocate and expand our operations to
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rooks Instrument has opened a new manufacturing and engineering centre in Korea to expand production of its mass
provide increased local production capability, faster service and sales and applications engineering support,” explains Hans Sundstrom, Global Semiconductor business unit manager for Brooks Instrument. The much larger facility will initially
support production of the Brooks Instrument GF100 Series of mass flow controllers used in semiconductor and other critical gas flow control applications. The GF100 series is widely seen as the semiconductor industry thermal MFC standard for reliable, repeatable delivery of process gasses. “Once the new production facility in
Yongin reaches full scale, we will have increased our global production capacity by close to 30 percent,” Sundstrom says. “It will also serve as an additional location for manufacturing and parts inventory, complementing our facilities in the US and
Hungary, thereby further reducing the risk of a supply chain disruption for our customers.” The Yongin facility will also improve the
company’s ability to provide rapid repair, maintenance and calibration support to customers in the region. The facility staff includes applications engineers ready to assist customers with expert support and insight on how to integrate Brooks Instrument mass flow technology with specific applications and advanced processes.
Brooks instrument
www.brooksinstrument.com
October 2021 Instrumentation Monthly
patient, and drug delivery device end-users to have an enhanced metrological understanding of them. Our new Micro-flow Measurement Facility will play a significant part in achieving this goal, as it can be used by medical equipment manufacturers and end-users to verify performance and provide confidence in medication delivery,” concludes Graham.
TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory
www.tuvsud.com/en-gb/industries/chemical- and-process/flow-measurement
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