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Prolonged time to alarm in infusion devices operated at low flow rates.
Crit Care Med. 2008 Aug 28;
Authors: Ilan R, Fowler RA, Ferguson ND, Parshuram CS, Friedrich JO, Lapinsky SE, Biason R, Pinto R, Etchells EE
OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the time to occlusion alarm for peristaltic infusion devices used in Toronto adult critical care units. DESIGN:: Cross-sectional study. SETTING:: Biomedical engineering departments of four Toronto teaching hospitals. SUBJECTS:: Twenty peristaltic infusion devices (five Sigma 8000-plus, five Graseby 3000, five Baxter Colleague, and five Alaris 7230B). INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS:: Time to occlusion alarm at flow rates of 2, 10, and 100 mL/hr at a full range of available pressure thresholds for occlusion detection, and with commonly used tubing sets. MAIN RESULTS:: At default (mid-range) pressure thresholds, mean (sd) time to occlusion alarm was 0.3 (0.1) mins at a flow rate of 100 mL/hr, 2.3 (0.5) mins at a flow rate of 10 mL/hr, and 11.7 (3.1) mins at a flow rate of 2 mL/hr. CONCLUSIONS:: Time to occlusion alarm in peristaltic infusion devices is long at low flow rates. Patients receiving important medications with short half-lives at low flow rates could experience clinically important interruptions in treatment. Time to occlusion alarm at high flow rates is short, which could lead to excessive alarms and "alarm mistrust" by clinical staff.
PMID: 18766111 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]