A water filter system could pave the way for emergency intravenous (IV) operations to help sick astronauts in space, reports Space.com. The IV device will be tested by NASA during the next space shuttle flight, set to launch Monday on the space shuttle Discovery.

The device is designed to filter out microscopic contaminants from drinking water to produce a fluid sterile enough for IVs in case they are needed in a medical emergency in space. If successful, it could also be used by the  military in remote field operations, on submarines and ships, as well as in medical relief efforts, researchers from NASA's Glenn Research Center (Cleveland) said.

"Project Clearwater," resulted in intravenous fluid generation (IVGEN) water filter. "IV fluid production anytime, anywhere, has great medical benefit on the ground as well as in space," said Philip Scarpa, medical operations manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

IVGEN transfers water from the station container's supply to an accumulator, which forces that water through a series of filters. The water is dispensed into an IV bag, similar to the kind used in hospitals.  Once inside the IV bag, which also contains salt and a stir bar, the fluid is mixed together with the salt. The result is a saline solution, same as the IV fluid used on Earth.

The researchers say the technology is significant because when it comes to medical supplies in space, IVs can be difficult to come by. They have a relatively limited shelf life, due to the need for sterility. And they take up a lot of volume, meaning each astronaut has restricted access. A space station typically has about 12 L of fluid at any given time. One recent NASA study reported that a mission to Mars may need as much as 248 liters of IV fluids on board, researchers said.
The IVGEN is a small device that produces IV-grade water from available space station drinking water. It filters out microscopic contaminants such as heavy metals and toxins. It can be be mounted inside the space station's science glove box during its test.

The biggest risk is the formation of bubbles due to the lack of gravity in space. To combat this, the development team devised  micron-sized filters to trap and squeeze out the bubbles from the system.

During Discovery's mission, astronauts will run water through the IVGEN filter from a storage bag and run several cycles, then freeze the resulting water so it can be analyzed on Earth. The equipment is slated to be returned on a later shuttle flight.