[The Baxter AS 50 syringe pump: a comparison with propofol-specific syringe pumps]

We used a Baxter AS 50 syringe pump for intravenous anesthesia with propofol, and compared it with a Grasby 3500 and a Terumo STC-525 X pumps, which are specifically designed for propofol infusion. The AS 50 pump is a programmable syringe infusion pump, which allows us to register up to 70 drug names in 10 categories and various infusion modes for drugs. There are 14 types of continuous infusion mode, a custom dilution mode, and three types of time infusion modes. The continuous infusion mode in mg.kg-1.h-1 is available for propofol anesthesia. Operation of this pump is simple and user-friendly, as with for the other propofol-specific pumps. Although the AS 50 pump is limited to a maximum bolus rate of 438 ml.h-1, this restriction is not a serious problem in clinical practice. The AS 50 pump is also equipped with an RS-232 C digital interface port to allow external remote monitoring or automated control. On-line simulation of blood propofol concentration is possible with a simulation program such as Propofol-Mon. Our impression is that the AS 50 pump is compact, easy to use, accurate and reliable for propofol anesthesia.