How Does An Infusion Pump Work?

By Author: Mrunal Dev
Total Articles: 1
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An infusion pump is a medical device that distributes liquids, such as nutrients and medicines, into a patient’s body in measured amounts. Infusion pumps made by Infusion Pump Manufacturers are in extensive use in medical settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and the home.

In general, an infusion pump is functioned by a trained user, who plans the rate and length of fluid distribution through a built-in software interface. Infusion pumps offer momentous advantages over the physical administration of liquids, including the ability to transport liquids in very small dimensions, and the ability to transport liquids at exactly programmed rates or mechanized intervals. They can transport nutrients or medicines, such as insulin or other hormones, antibiotics, chemotherapy medications, and pain relievers.
There are many kinds of infusion pumps, counting large volumes, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), elastomeric, needle, enteral, and insulin pumps. Because infusion pumps are regularly used to direct critical liquids, including high-risk medicines, pump fiascos can have noteworthy inferences for patient safety. ...
... Many infusion pumps are armed with safety features, such as bells or other operator alerts that are envisioned to initiate in the event of a problem. For instance, some pumps are intended to alert users when air or another blockage is noticed in the tubing that brings liquid to the patient. Some newer infusion pumps, often called smart pumps, are intended to alert the user when there is a danger of adverse drug interaction, or when the user sets the pump’s limits outside of stated safety limits.

Over the past several years, momentous security issues connected to infusion pumps have come to FDA’s attention. These issues can concede the safe use of external infusion pumps and lead to over- or under-infusion, wasted treatments, or deferred treatment.
Some infusion pumps made by Infusion Pump Manufacturers are intended mostly for stationary use at a patient’s bedside. Others, named ambulatory infusion pumps, are intended to be movable or wearable.

Several usually used infusion pumps are intended for specialized purposes. These comprise:
Enteral pump - A pump used to transport fluid nutrients and medicines to a patient’s gastric tract.
Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump - A pump used to transport pain medicine, which is armed with a feature that permits patients to self-administer a controlled amount of medicine, as desired.
Insulin pump - A pump naturally used to transport insulin to patients with diabetes. Insulin pumps are often used in the home.

Infusion pumps may be power-driven electrically or mechanically. Diverse pumps function in dissimilar ways. For instance:

In a syringe pump, the liquid is seized in the tank of a syringe, and a portable piston controls fluid delivery.
In an elastomeric pump, the liquid is held in a stretchable balloon tank, and pressure from the elastic walls of the balloon drives fluid distribution.
In a peristaltic pump, a set of breakers tweaks down on a length of supple tubing, pushing fluid forward.
In a multi-channel pump, liquids can be distributed from numerous reservoirs at multiple rates.
A "smart pump" is armed with security features, such as user alerts that activate when there is a danger of hostile drug interaction, or when the user sets the pump's limits outside of specified security limits.