Infusion Pump Performance: Flow Accuracy & Continuity Often Don’t Add Up

Ben Powers & The Fresenius Kabi Pharmacy Team

Large volume infusion pumps (LVP) are assumed to infuse fluids and medications continuously at the programmed rate. Infusion pump user manuals typically report flow accuracy of +/-5%, but this is an average under controlled lab conditions. Actual pump performance in real-world conditions typically is less understood, despite the dramatic effect changing conditions can have on pump output and patient response.

In this article, published in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare, clinical implications of variability in flow accuracy are explored, as well as a new paradigm for pump technology to ensure high-quality patient care and safety.

The full article can be accessed here.