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1. AWERProcedia
Information Technology
& Computer Science
Vol 04 (2013) 480-485
3rd
World Conference on Innovation and Computer Sciences 2013
Design and implementation of a microcontroller based infusion
pump system for automatic drug delivery
Dogan Ibrahim *, Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Rana R. Saeed, Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Suggested Citation:
Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R. Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus.
AWERProcedia Information Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available
from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
Received December 13, 2012; revised January 17, 2013; accepted March 27, 2013.
Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Sadıkoglu, Near East University.
©2013 Academic World Education & Research Center. All rights reserved
Abstract
The Administering drugs to patients by the oral, subcutaneous, and intravenous means is a fundamental requirement for the
treatment of many diseases in clinical medicine. Traditionally, drug delivery to critical patients is accomplished by using the
well known roller clamp drip delivery system. Here, the drug in liquid form and usually in a plastic bag is attached high in the
roller clamp assembly. The amount of drug delivered to the patient per unit time is adjusted by the help of the natural
gravity, and by setting the pressure of a clamp attached to the chord of the drip.
This paper describes the design, development, and the implementation of a microcontroller based intelligent and automatic
drug delivery system, based on the principle of an intravenous infusion pump. A stepper motor ensures accurate and precise
delivery of drugs to the patient exactly at the required times. The novelty of the system described in this paper is that it
provides remote wireless Bluetooth based communication to the health nurse about the state of the system at any time.
Thus, with the designed system the health nurse does not have to carry out frequent visits to patient’s bed side in order to
check the state of the drug delivery system.
Keywords: Drug infusion system, pump, microcontroller based design, automated infusion system;
*ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDANCE: Dogan Ibrahim,Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia,
Cyprus, E-mail Address: doganıbrahım@gmail.com

2. Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R.Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus. AWERProcedia Information
Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
481
1. Introduction
One of the principal activities of clinical medicine is the pharmacologic treatment of diseases.
Traditionally, this has been carried out by administering drug and other materials in individual doses
by the oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous route, by butting the fluid container in high
lever from the patient and the dose is adjusted manually by the roller clamp as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Typical Drug Delivery System.
However, these methods of administration are not satisfactory, because:
• Drug level vary from one administration to the next.
• For drugs which are close to their toxic levels, this type of administration results in either toxic
side effects or suboptimal therapy [1].
• Repeated catheter access and extravasation occurs when fluid that should be delivered
intravenously is inadvertently delivered into a tissue space [2], as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Extravasation
Methods of using physical devices to administer drug continuously within a narrow therapeutic
range have been developed to overcome these problems.

3. Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R.Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus. AWERProcedia Information
Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
482
1.1. What is the Automated Drug Delivery System
An automated drug delivery system is an electronic medical device used to control the
administration of intravenous fluids in very small amounts and at a carefully regulated rate over long
periods. An infusion pump infuses fluids, medication or nutrients into a patient's circulatory system. It
is generally used intravenously, although subcutaneous, arterial and epidural infusions are
occasionally used. Infusion pumps can administer fluids in ways that would be impractically expensive
or unreliable if performed manually by nursing staff [3]. Automated drug delivery systems provide
injections every minute, injection with repeated boluses requested by the patient, or fluids whose
volumes vary by the time of day.
1.2. Applications of Automated Drug Delivery
The application of automated drug delivery continues to grow, such as the delivery of heparin for
chronic anticoagulation, cytostatic drug infusion for cancer chemotherapy, morphine delivery for pain
control, insulin infusion for diabetes, hypertension control, intractable pain control, drug and alcohol
antagonist, delivery chronic hormone supplement, and anti-arrhythmia control [4]. In addition, it is
used to inject the radio-opaque contrast media into the body to enhance the visibility of tissues for a
medical imaging procedure for CT scan, MRI, PET, Cardiovascular/Angiography fluoroscopy and
Ultrasound image [5]. For meeting the exacting requirements of these applications in term of flow rate
of the fluids in safe and effective manner, the pumps are becoming smaller and smarter. The use of
microprocessor technology has allowed the systems to provide performance and functionality that
were unattainable only several years ago and most new systems are designed for easy addition of new
features through simple software improvement [3].
1.3 The history of automated drug delivery systems
These devices are used worldwide in healthcare facilities, in General Wards, Ambulatory, Intensive
Care, Operating Room, Emergency, as well as in the home. Infusion pumps have contributed to
improvements in patient care, allowing for a greater level of control, accuracy, and precision in drug
delivery, and thereby reducing medication errors. One of the greatest technological advances in the
medical field has been that of intravenous medicine—the ability to feed, hydrate, medicate and
replace blood lost in sick and injured patients directly, through the use of needles. Leading the ability
to perform all these functions are infusion pumps. These devices deliver controlled amounts of
nutrition, blood and medication directly to a person’s circulatory system, where it has the best, most
immediate effect on recovery. They can also deliver medicine just under the skin, or directly to the
central nervous system.
One of the major developments in infusion pumps was the invention in the early 1970s of a
wearable infusion pump, by Dean Kamen [6]. Kamen’s brother was a doctor, and complained that the
infusion pumps of the day were too unwieldy. As a result, Dean Kamen invented the first ambulatory
pump. It not only gave patients freedom to move when receiving treatment, it meant they could
receive their medication on an outpatient basis. This advancement was a godsend to patients, such as
diabetics, who need round the clock injections. Kamen’s pump also automatically administered precise
doses at regularly timed intervals.
Thomson & Harrison [7] invented “Automated Drug Additive Infusion System”. In accordance with
this invention, a system is provided for sequentially administering to a patient fluid from a secondary
fluid container and a primary fluid container at respective selected flow rates governed at a rate
control site by an electromechanical device. The system includes a Y-connector upstream from the
control site, a primary fluid line extending from the primary fluid container through a primary valve to
the Y-connector and a secondary fluid line extending from the secondary fluid container to the Y-
connector through a secondary valve.

4. Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R.Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus. AWERProcedia Information
Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
483
Volker Lang [8] invented “Cassette Infusion System”. In accordance with this invention, a modular
cassette infusion system was developed for multiple infusions and the automatic administration of
medicament. Sterile disposable cassettes are employed, which possess integral connections for the
infusion lines, inlet valves, liquid distribution ducts, pump chambers, outlet valves, venting filters and
chambers for the measurement of the infusion pressure. The system renders possible the infusion of
3, 6 or more different infusion solutions and medicaments held in disposable syringes via one or more
small-volume pump chambers with an outlet valve.
Steil & Rebrin [9] invented “Close Loop System for Controlling Insulin Infusion”. In accordance with
this invention, a closed loop infusion system controls the rate that fluid is infused into the body of a
user. The closed loop infusion system includes a sensor system, a controller, and a delivery system.
The sensor system includes a sensor for monitoring a condition of the user. The sensor produces a
sensor signal, which is representative of the condition of the user. The sensor signal is used to
generate a controller input. The controller uses the controller input to generate commands to operate
the delivery system. The delivery system infuses a liquid into the user at a rate dictated by the
commands from the controller.
1.4 The Aim
The aim of this research has been to design and implement an automated drug delivery system. By
using the Bluetooth technology and a microcontroller, the developed infusion pump enables to deliver
a variety of different drug fluids to the patient at accurate level of control, and with high precision in
drug delivery, with reduced danger of exposure of the medical staff to harmful drugs, thus providing
additional protection to the staff.
1.5 Open loop systems
Drug delivery is said to be open loop if the rate of infusion is set a-priori and it is not automatically
altered by the patient's response. In the open loop system as shown in Figure 3, the rate of the
delivery is set by the physician or nurse on the basis of past experience, mathematical computation, or
observations made about the patient. The control action of the delivery is taken manually and the set
rate is constant until the setting is changed. Most current systems in hospitals operate in open loop
mode.
Figure 3. Open loop system
1.6 Closed loop systems
Closed-loop drug infusion systems are among a growing number of systems designed to
automate the control of physiological variables either in a clinical or laboratory setting. A system and

5. Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R.Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus. AWERProcedia Information
Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
484
method for providing closed loop infusion formulation delivery, which accurately calculates a delivery
amount based on a sensed biological state by adjusting an algorithm’s programmable control
parameters (see Figure 4). A sensor is used to control the amount of drug delivery. The sensor
produces a signal, which is representative of the condition of the patient. The sensor signal is used to
generate a controller input. The controller uses the controller input to generate commands to operate
the delivery system. The delivery system infuses a liquid into the patient at a rate dictated by
commands from the controller.
Figure 4. Closed loop system
2. The block diagram of the designed system
The block diagram of the designed system is shown in Figure 5. The system is built around a
microcontroller, which controls all operations of the infusion system. The system is fully
programmable and consists of a keypad and an LCD for setting parameters of the system, a Bluetooth
wireless transmitter to send warning messages to the nurse (or the health attendant) in charge, and
various electronic circuitries such as stepper motors for precise control of the pump.
Figure 5. Block diagram of the designed system

6. Ibrahim D. & Saeed R., R.Near East University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nicosia, Cyprus. AWERProcedia Information
Technology & Computer Science. [Online]. 2013, 04, pp 480-485. Available from: www.awer-center.org/pitcs
485
3.Results
The designed system can deliver drugs in the range 5 to 250 drops/min, and also the volume of the
delivered drug can be around 20 drops/ml. the system provides several safety detectors with audible
alarms. In addition, a wireless Bluetooth based interface is provided so that a health nurse located up
to a distance of 100m can easily monitor the stat of the system. The designed drug delivery system has
been tested at the Mosul Health District Hospital in Iraq on real patients and has been reported to
work successfully. The fact that the system offers remote monitoring has been reported to be the
most important feature compared to other existing commercial systems. Nurses could monitor the
states of the drug delivery system from their places of work, without having to go to the bedsides of
patients. The safety features and alarm reporting feature have also been liked by the hospital staff as
they could get on with their other duties do not have to go frequently to check the state of the
system. In addition, the device provides protection of the nursing staff in case of chemotherapy
delivery to the cancer patients, where contact of the nursing and medical staff with toxic drugs is
reduced considerably.
4. Conclusions
The designed microcontroller based automatic and intelligent drug delivery system has been
implemented successfully using standard microcontroller and electronic parts. Tests carried out at the
Mosul District Hospital have indicated great success and acceptance of the device for use at bedsides
to replace the existing mechanical system. The system has the novelty that its state can be monitored
remotely at any time. In addition, the system offers safety features with audible alarms to help the
health nurses to attend immediately should an error condition is detected. Because the system is
based on a microcontroller, its features and specifications can easily be changed by modifying the
program.
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