Merit Sensor has a long history of supplying products to the medical-device industry. We are owned by Merit Medical, a leading manufacturer and marketer of disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures.

A couple of the products we supply for medical applications are the BP Series for monitoring blood pressure, where accuracy and reliability are extremely important, and the AP Series for angioplasty, where knowing the precise pressure of the catheter balloon is essential.

The current demand for mechanical ventilators and respirators due to the COVID-19 pandemic presents us with another opportunity to fill a need in the medical field. The use of pressure sensors in ventilators and respirators is similar to their use in CPAP and BiPAP. Essentially, when the lungs need assistance taking in air, a machine blows the required amount of air into the lungs. But how does the medical professional monitor and control the required amount of air, or positive airway pressure? This is where pressure sensors play a critical role.

Merit Sensor’s LP Series is the ideal pressure sensor for these applications. The LP Series can measure pressure as low as 1 inH₂O (250 Pa) with resolution better than 0.001 inH₂O (<0.1 Pa). It was designed to measure differential or gauge pressure, depending on the application. It contains two pressure ports to which tubing can be connected, one tube directing pressure to the topside of the MEMS sensing element and the other tube directing pressure to the backside of the MEMS sensing element. It comes in several calibrated pressure ranges, functions with a 3.3- or 5-volt supply, and offers I²C or analog output.

The LP Series, along with all of Merit Sensor’s other products, is made in our on-site wafer fab and assembly areas in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Manufacturing our products in our own facility ensures that we have control over product quality and supply chain. It also allows us to customize products to meet the unique demands of our various customers and markets.

We are proud to be a reliable supplier for life-enhancing and life-saving devices, and we hope that our products can play an important role in helping humanity, especially at this time.