General Many pumps operate from battery and mains electricity. Free flow of fluid due to incorrect housing of pump insert or syringe is a common cause of severe over infusion. The balance between setting the pumping pressure to overcome all baseline and intermittent resistance and prevention of tissuing is a major issue. Setting the pressure low, at best causes nuisance occlusion alarms. This becomes a major concern when a patient's blood pressure support depends on reliable drug infusion and the infusion is interrupted due to intermittent drug circuit resistance.
Clinical advice is required to ascertain the appropriate setting for the patient.
Time to Alarm Another factor relating to infusion pump pressure is the impact it can have on the time interval between when an occlusion occurs and the alarm sounds. Flow rate also affects alarm response time. Higher flow rates result in more rapid alarm response than lower flow rates. Clearing the occlusion e.g. opening the tap, roller clamp, kinked tubing will infuse a bolus into the patient. The pump door is opened or the syringe is removed from its' clamp.