In the healthcare landscape, there are a number of different services that a pharmacy can provide. In an IV compounding pharmacy, intravenous medications are mixed on demand, combining active ingredients with liquid solvents, such as saline (the most commonly used solvent), to create the IV bags that are commonly seen in clinical settings such as hospitals. But as with any mixing process, there is a risk of human error, which in the case of medication, could result in potential harm to, or even the death of, the patient.
Our client, Omnicell, created a line of IV compounding robots to help reduce the risk of human error when compounding medications. The robots feature barcode scanning, gravimetric verification, and auto labeling to reduce the error rate associated with IV compounding. When Omnicell developed their new IVX Station, Daedalus was asked to take on a primary role in the coding and testing of a proof of concept system that revolved around filling bags and syringes for use in these compounding robots. One of our software engineers spent the better part of 20 months onsite at Omnicell, working to complete the project with their in-house engineering teams. Our minimum goal for the proof of concept was to fill syringes at the same speed a human would be capable of, which we were able to achieve. Moreover, the test logs indicated that this could be greatly improved with future design optimizations. We were subsequently asked to investigate and design modifications that would allow the compounding robot to recover from unannounced power loss conditions, and we have also assisted in selecting an OTS uninterruptible power supply and in identifying appropriate replacements for system components that are no longer available. As needed, we will continue to assist with component replacement and design modifications.