Disc pump micropump manufacturer TTP Ventus has started working on a project to use disc pump in ambulatory blood pressure systems. The tiny, quiet and highly efficient disc pump could change the way ambulatory blood pressure is measured, claims TTP Ventus, who’s a former exhibitor of the WT | Wearable Technologies Show at MEDICA.
Micropumps are devices that can control and manipulate small fluid volumes. Such pumps are of special interest in microfluidic research, and have become available for industrial product integration in recent years.
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To monitor blood pressure at regular intervals 24 hours a day, currently available blood pressure monitors typically use motor-driven diaphragm pumps to inflate a cuff on the upper arm. The downside to this approach is that the cuff needs to be inflated well above systolic pressure, applying significant forces to the arm. “It can also take a little while to inflate the cuff meaning the arm is compressed for longer than you’d like. Both issues affect user comfort,” Tom Harrison, Business Development Manager of TTP Ventus, told MedGadget’s Conn Hastings in an interview. On the other hand, these bulky and noisy pumps affect airflow pulsation within the blood pressure monitor, so manufacturers tend to design the pump to be worn on the belt or around the neck on a lanyard.
To solve these problems, TTP Ventus has proposed that the Disc Pump could be a better alternative to motor-drive diaphragm pumps. TTP Ventus’ Disc Pump platform is a silent micropump platform that delivers exceptional pressure and flow, millisecond-response time, precision controllability and pulsation-free flow. These features enable product designers to drive innovation, for example through the creation of discrete, wearable medical devices or through the miniaturization of measurement equipment.
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Mr. Harrison told MedGadget that they have plans to integrate the disc pump into other applications such as from sleep apnea therapy to breath-based disease diagnostics, compression therapy, microfluidics for point-of-care diagnostics and elevated vacuum prosthetics. “Our plans for the pump are focused on continuing to build on its success in the market. We’re working hard to reach new OEM customers across the medical and life science sectors, whilst keeping an eye on the emerging applications of tomorrow where the Disc Pump often adds significant value over conventional pumps,” he said.
