types of infusion pumps
Some drug infusion pumps are external and can be used in the hospital and at home. Others are surgically implanted into the patient. Drug infusion pumps can be used to deliver a number of drugs and fluids. Some of the more common uses include: 1  providing high-risk patients with critical fluids and nutrients. 2  delivering antibiotics (the majority of external drug infusion pumps administer antibiotics). 3  delivering pain relieving drugs -- pumps administering these types of drugs are often called pain pumps or anesthetic infusion pumps.
Another common form is a set of fingers that press on the tube in sequence. Small-volume pumps usually use a computer-controlled motor turning a screw that pushes the plunger on a syringe. The classic medical improvisation for an infusion pump is to place a blood pressure cuff around a bag of fluid. The battlefield equivalent is to place the bag under the patient. The pressure on the bag sets the infusion pressure. The pressure can actually be read-out at the cuff's indicator.