FLUIDS IN MICROGRAVITY

IT IS PROPOSED TO CONDUCT THE NECESSARY RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE MEDICAL SYSTEM THAT WILL PERMIT THE CONSTITUTION AND STERILIZATION OF FLUIDS IN SPACE AND THEIR INTRAVENOUS (IV) ADMINISTRATION WITH A PORTABLE, SELF-CONTAINED, SELF-REGULATING, AND SPRING-POWERED IV INFUSION PUMP. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT CONSTITUTION AND STERILIZATION DEVICES WILL UTILIZE SIMPLE PROCEDURES AND NOT REQUIRE ELECTRICAL POWER. BASED UPON PREVIOUS RESEARCH AT TRDC, THE IV PUMP WILL BE LIGHTWEIGHT AND COLLAPSIBLE TO PERMIT STORAGE WITHIN A MINIMUM VOLUME AND PROVIDE BOTH APPROXIMATE FLOW-RATE AND INFUSED VOLUME INFORMATION. DURING THE PHASE I EFFORT, PROTOTYPE SYSTEMS WILL BE FABRICATED AND TESTED ON BOTH THE LABORATORY BENCH AND WITH LARGE DOGS.