Medical production is one area in which we really love to see progress and advance and this is why the new batch of intelligent medical flowmeters has really got us excited. You could of course argue that everything which is created industrially for medicine plays a key role in healthcare but there are of course some items which are more broadly used and which help a wider volume of patients. Treatment for rare diseases is of course important, but it is the items which are used on a day-in day-out basis which carry with them so much importance.

One such piece of equipment is the medical flowmeter, a fantastic piece of kit which is used in hospital wards all over the country. The flowmeter plays a vital role in the measurement of certain metrics and here is why they are such a lifesaver.

What is a Flowmeter?

A flowmeter is a very simple piece of apparatus which is used to measure the flow rate of solids, liquids and gases in the hospital. If you have ever seen those small bottles which are attached to the wall in the hospital then you have seen a flowmeter, these are used fora  variety of functions depending on which patient is in the hospital.

Flow meters are able to measure solids, liquids and gases in a number of ways, from linear, non-linear, volumetrically and they can also measure by weight. You may have heard of these pieces of kit referred to as flow indicators, gauges, or perhaps even liquid meters.

Different Types

There are a number of different types of flowmeters which you can find, and this is where the advancement is so great. Currently hospitals use mechanical, optical and open channel flow meters, there are some which also have Smart software so that they can be remotely checked, saving time, resources and money.

Usage

There are of course a wide range of uses for these small yet powerful pieces of equipment and most often in a hospital setting it is used to gauge the oxygen level of the patient. This works by inserting a simple tube into the patient which is connected to the flowmeter which then uses pressure to gauge whether or not there is oxygen coming through and if so how much. This enables the nursing staff easily check that everything is ok with their patient and their oxygen levels.

Flowmeters will also have sensors on them which are connected to alarms, and these sensors will trigger the alarm when there is something wrong i.e. not enough oxygen coming through. As you can imagine the flow meter is something which is absolutely vital to any hospital ward and through the simply measurement of liquids, gases and solids, the apparatus is able to ensure patient safety and help the nurses to get on with helping other patients.

The technology for this has long been simple but with the addition of smart technology we can see that there is a bright future for the manufacture of parts such as these.