I saw a commercial for the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat the other day. It’s a neat little gadget that reminded me of something that I’ve been thinking about for years.
The requirements for monitoring, cleaning, and analyzing conditions in an IV clean room are enormous. To get a feel for what I’m talking about I would encourage you to take some time to read through the list of surface testing, air sampling, and end product testing required by USP <797> for pharmacies that compound sterile preparations (CSPs). It’s fairly extensive and complex.
I’m surprised that primary engineering control (PEC), i.e. hood manufacturers haven’t taken the initiative and designed hoods that do all the surface testing and air sampling real-time. I suppose it’s possible that this is currently available, but I haven’t seen anything like it in any of my reading.
The mobile industry has shown that real-time monitoring of just about anything is possible. We can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, saliva, and even mood. With the explosion of wearables and tiny implantable sensors it’s not crazy to make a leap to real-time airflow and particle analysis inside a PEC. Sensors could even alert users when their hand placement blocks proper airflow, i.e. poor technique. Throw in a camera for both still images and video and the possibilities become endless.
Someone please make this. Thanks.
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