An indirect drug delivery device driven by piezoelectric pump

An indirect drug delivery device driven by piezoelectric pump (IDDDPP) is proposed, which has the advantages of environmental friendliness and low drug waste. The IDDDPP prototype, which consists of a piezoelectric pump and a replaceable drug delivery unit, is manufactured using materials with good bio-compatibility. The prototype with different needles was designed and manufactured. The experimental researches are performed to examine the influence of different needles on the performance of IDDDPP. Experimental results demonstrate that increasing the diameter of the needle increases the maximum output flow rate of IDDDPP. At 160 Vpp and 24 Hz, the maximum flow rate of 0.96 ml min(-1)is obtained with the needle of 0.3 mm diameter.