Here's Why Infusion Pumps are More and More Popular

It’s nearly impossible for a hospital to own every single piece of equipment it has. Given that the typical hospital owns or rents over 35,000 different pieces of equipment, this makes sense. Medical equipment rentals can also keep costs down, which is important given that in 2013, the average cost of a one-day stay in the hospital was over $4,000. Infusion pumps are common medical equipment rentals because of their high volume of usage in a hospital. An IV is a fairly ubiquitous sight in a hospital and infusion pumps can regulate the amount and rate of fluids being administered much more easily. Plus, they reduce the margin of error, which pretty much every hospital would like to avoid.

How Do Infusion Pumps Work?

An infusion pump administers fluids to a patient intravenously, usually nutrients or a medication like antibiotics, pain relievers, and more in specific amounts. They’re most commonly seen in hospitals, though nursing homes use them, and someone might see them in a home of someone who is terminally ill. There are two main categories of infusion pumps: large volume pumps, which can feed a patient, and small-volume pumps, that focus mostly on hormones or medication.

Though many pumps are “smart” and need not be manually operated, a trained user does need to be on hand, to do the initial programming. Almost all of them have safety features, built in, that can be activated if an issue arises. Newer models can provide alarms when there’s a bad reaction to a drug or if the pump is being set to unsafe levels.

What are the Advantages of Using an IV Infusion Pump?

Many medical establishments are looking at infusion pumps for rent because of their many advantages. They’ve been around since the late 1960s and it’s well known that IV therapy is the quickest way to get fluid or medication to the body. The bioavailability absorption is 100%. However, before infusion pumps, IV’s were usually performed by hand.

This means that every time a person needed fluids administered, a nurse would have to come, measure out the dose, and deliver it personally. With an infusion pump, a nurse can program the pump to deliver fluids at a specific time, quantity, and rate, and then make his or her other rounds. It ensures the patient what they need, and the nurse has a few minutes elsewhere to do his or her other myriad tasks.

Infusion pumps offer significant advantages over manual administration of fluids, including the ability to deliver fluids in tiny volumes, and the ability to deliver fluids at precisely programmed rates or automated intervals. This is especially important in the treatment of the smallest of patients in the NICU.

Patients are also kept safer by infusion pumps through minimizing the risk of either under or over-infusing a patient and they allow medical practitioners to create a standard for drug concentrations being administered to patients.

Where Should a Hospital Look For New Medical Equipment Rentals?

Chances are good that the hospital you work with already has a vendor (or a few vendors) that they rely on for their medical equipment rentals. These are a great place to look first since you won’t have to start a new relationship with another vendor you’re unfamiliar with. You already know how you work with them and they may be able to offer you a loyalty or bulk discount, or even a trial period with the product, to see if you’re satisfied with it.

However, there’s always the chance to broaden horizons if you’re dissatisfied with your current vendors, and to see what the other options out there look like. The Internet has opened up plenty of doors to easily find the equipment you need and have it easily shipped where you need it.

Streamline your workflow with infusion pumps. You’ll improve patient safety, be able to refer to a standard and maximize efficiency. Hospitals are busy places, and every minute saved can be used to save lives.