Anaheim, California – February 11, 2014— Merit Sensor Systems, Inc., a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of pressure sensing solutions, announced here today at the Medical Design and Manufacturing Conference (exhibiting at Booth #1901), its BP Series of medical pressure sensors. These devices have been designed to provide a form, fit and function solution to existing applications and fully conform to the American Association of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Standard BP22. They employ Merit’s proprietary Silicon Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology and exploit all of its benefits, including low-cost, item-to-item reproducibility and ruggedness. The BP Series operates over the pressure measurement range of -30 to +300 mm Hg and is compatible in air, gas and liquid, including blood. Being designed for large volume applications, the BP Series sensors are also compatible with automated assembly equipment. The design, assembly, manufacturing and testing of these devices are conducted under one roof at Merit Sensor’s Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., facility. The BP Series was designed for disposable blood pressure monitoring but is also applicable in a broad range of additional medical measurement applications, including kidney dialysis and infusion pumps.
The performance and reliability of the BP Series far exceeds the requirements of the AAMI BP22 standard. It operates over a pressure range of -30 to +300 mm Hg over the temperature range of +15 to +40 °C. The typical accuracy of the sensor is better than 1% of reading over this entire pressure and temperature range. The sensor is also able to maintain this level of accuracy over a wide supply voltage of 1-10 volts. These small devices measure 8.1 x 10.5 mm, weigh 2 grams and are suitable for ETO sterilization.
Merit Sensor President, Rick Russell, said, ”Our BP Series pressure sensors have been specifically designed to perform accurately and reliably under the rigors of medical measurement and meet the stringent requirements of the AAMI BP22 Standard. Based on our parent company Merit Medical Systems, Inc.’s long history and in-depth experience in providing high quality medical device solutions to the market, Merit Sensor has the unique ability to experience the nuances of these devices in real-life medical situations, as well as the potential failure mechanisms caused by inappropriate use. This knowledge is incorporated into the design of the BP Series to exceed critical specifications like burst pressure – the BP Series typically allows for ten times the accidental overpressure or extreme shock application to blood pressure transducers. This results in a lower cost of ownership for the customer. We expect that this feature, in addition to its design for high volume assembly and manufacturing, will gain rapid acceptance in the medical diagnostic measurement market and challenge our competitors’ blood pressure sensor products.”
PRICE AND DELIVERY
The Merit Sensor BP Series Blood Pressure Sensor is available from stock. The unit price is $1.50 in 100,000 piece quantities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Join us at the Merit Medical OEM booth 1901 at MD&M West on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12 for a “pressure sensor transducer overpressure demonstration,” presented by Scott Sidwell, Engineering Manager for Merit Sensor. A data sheet and case study is available at www.meritsensor.com . Technical inquires may be emailed to sensors@merit.com. High resolution photos of the BP Series blood pressure sensor can be found at:http://www.meritsensor.com/documents/pressimages/
ABOUT MERIT SENSOR SYSTEMS, INC.
Merit Sensor Systems, Inc., was founded in 1991 and is engaged in the design, fabrication, assembly and packaging of customized piezoresistive pressure sensor solutions for medical, automotive, industrial, aviation, defense and consumer applications. Merit Sensor Systems is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a subsidiary of Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMSI).
