Low-cost single foot operated mechanical suction machine for rural health centers and hospitals

Healthcare practitioners in low and middle-income countries encounter numerous challenges, including insufficient staffing, an unreliable electrical infrastructure, and constrained resources. Unstable availability of electricity constitutes a significant impediment to the efficacy of public health initiatives that depend on technology requiring electrical power. More than 95% of medical apparatus is procured from developed nations, with an only 13% of medical device manufacturers situated within LMIC. Non-profit organizations have developed innovative medical technologies that offer life-saving solutions previously inaccessible in the developing world.

The device is designed to be cost-effective, made from local resources, compact, portable, and operated without electricity. The device is designed to have replaceable parts, a waste container cut off, and be compatible with standard suction catheter/tubing. It includes user and maintenance training, displayed parameters, corrosion-resistant components, and pump pedal spring loading. A combination concept was created by combining the manufacturing capabilities of a diaphragm with the efficiency of a piston cylinder. The final design chosen uses a piston-cylinder assembly with a trash bag diaphragm for the seal, eliminating the need for exact tolerances and costly machining. A prototype was built on top of this combined design concept.

The design concept involves the implementation of locally accessible resources for the pressure-generating mechanisms, as well as the adaptability and ease of assembly of the device. The ideal length of the cylinder assembly was determined through pressure readings using a digital manometer differential pressure sensor. Changing the capacity of the cylinder can adjust the pressure range. The ideal cylinder length was found to be 12.75 inches as it provided the desired pressure range, although longer cylinders were inconsistent and difficult for users to operate.

The Foot-Operated Suction Unit is particularly well suited for usage in distant places without power supply, rural health facilities, home care, field emergencies, and brief power outages due to its compact size, low weight, and simplicity of operation. Hospitals of all levels typically employ foot-operated suction units to execute abortions and to draw blood, pus, sputum, and other mucus during surgical operations.