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5 tips for keeping your infusion pumps pumping

by Diana Bradley, Staff Writer | July 13, 2012
From the July 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Beyond the standards of buying from a respectable company, doing your homework regarding your maintenance and warranties, what should you look for when you’re buying an infusion pump? Better yet, after the purchase, what steps should you take to prolong the equipment life and get the most from your investment? Joe Cramer, president of IV Technologies, Inc.; Philip Stuemke, VP of sales at NOVATEK Medical; and Sam Kassir, VP Customer Relationship at Infusion Pump Repair supplied DOTmed News with the following five tips.



  1. Be gentle.
    Two common problems with IV pumps are broken doors for volumetric pumps and broken barrel clamps for syringe pumps. End users should open the door gently when inserting the tubing set. This will prevent the hinges from breaking.


  2. Keep the pumps plugged in when not in use.
    When end users don’t do this, they run the pump until it goes into low battery alarm. This practice shortens the battery life and will cause the pump to lose all of its programmable parameters.


  3. Make sure to use the proper IV tubing with your pumps.
    For example, some end users might not use proper IV tubing with their Baxter IV pumps. In these cases, the Baxter 6200/6300, 6201/6301 should be used with Baxter standard IV tubing. This will eliminate false alarms.


  4. Knowledge is power.
    Surprisingly, 30 percent of pumps that are sent to IV Technologies, Inc. for repair are not actually broken, with user errors cited as the main problem. Customers should have someone who is knowledgeable with the workings of the pump to verify the problem before sending out the pump. This would save on shipping charges and checkout fees.


  5. Find a company that can supply the replacement parts for the older technology.
    If you’re looking to purchase a refurbished pump, with older equipment, the ability to get parts is a major issue. Some refurb companies have an extensive supply of repair parts for different types of equipment. These parts should be re-certified and come with a six month or year warranty and should be priced around 50 percent less than the new price.

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