Smart IoT-Based System for Real-Time Monitoring and Management of Normal Saline Levels in Healthcare Facilities

Normal saline treatment is a common medical practice for patients who suffer from dehydration and other conditions. It helps to restore their health by providing fluids and electrolytes that are essential for the body's normal functioning. However, administering normal saline treatment requires careful attention and monitoring by nurses to avoid any complications. One of the major challenges is to ensure that the level of normal saline in the container does not drop below a certain threshold. If the staff members are negligent and do not notice when the container runs out of normal saline, the patients may face serious complications. This is because the blood can flow back into the container when there is no normal saline fluid left, creating air bubbles that can block the blood vessels and cause embolism. To prevent this, an IoT-based normal saline level monitoring system has been proposed. The proposed system monitors and regulates the normal saline flow using sensors that are attached to the container and the patient's arm. The weight of container gives quantity of normal saline fluid in the container. The flow of normal saline fluid is stopped using solenoid valve once the level of fluid falls below set threshold. Other sensors to measure the blood pressure and the pulse rate of the patient are also present in the system. The system sends alerts to the caregivers via a mobile app or a web portal when the normal saline fluid level reaches preset levels and when there is any abnormality in vital signs of the patient. Strain gauge type of load cell is utilized in this proposed system which provides ±0.1% of weight accuracy. This proposed system can improve the patient's safety and reduce the risk of errors, especially during night shifts or busy periods when the nurses may have multiple patients to attend.