RAMAN SCATTERING TO MONITOR INTRAVENOUS DRUG DELIVERY

THE SAFETY OF INTRAVENOUS DRUG ADMINISTRATION WOULD BE IMPROVED IF A DEVICE COULD WARN THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST WHEN THE WRONG DRUG IS GIVEN, WHEN A DRUG IS GIVEN IN AN INCORRECT DOSE, OR WHEN A COMBINATION OF DRUGS ARE GIVEN WHICH IS DANGEROUS. THE WARNING DEVICE WOULD HELP AVOID THECONSEQUENCES OF A MISTAKE BY HALTING DRUG DELIVERY UNTIL THECHOICE OF DRUG IS VERIFIED BY THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST. AN ARGON LASER (488 NM) WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY THE MAJOR RAMAN SCATTERING PEAKS FOR 41 COMMON PERIANESTHETIC DRUGS. A CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO UNIQUELY IDENTIFY EACH DRUG IN CLINICAL CONCENTRATIONS, ACCORDING TO THE FEATURES IN ITS RAMAN SPECTRUM. A FLOWMETER WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR USE WITH THE RAMAN SYSTEM TO MEASURE INTRAVENOUS FLOW RATES (0.1 TO 60 ML/MIN, 10 PERCENT ACCURACY), SO THE AMOUNT OF DRUG INJECTED CAN BE CALCULATED. THE ACCURACY OF THE FLOWMETER WILL BE TESTED USING RAPID AND SLOW SYRINGE INJECTIONS. THE SYSTEM WILL BE TESTED SIMULATING A CLINICAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE 41 DRUGS ARE INJECTED IN TYPICAL DILUTIONSAND AT TYPICAL FLOW RATES. THE RESULTS WILL DOCUMENT THE ACCURACY OF DRUG IDENTIFICATION AND THE MEASUREMENT ERROR FOR THE AMOUNT OF DRUG INFUSED. RESULTS WILL LEAD TO A PORTABLE RAMAN ANALYZER WHERE THE SAMPLE CUVETTE AND FLOWMETER ARE PLACED IN THE INTRAVENOUS LINE GOING TO THE PATIENT.