Patient-controlled analgesic infusion pumps

Patient-controlled analgesic (PCA) infusion pumps allow patients to self-administer doses of pain-relieving medication as needed, rather than having to summon a caregiver. The most significant risk when using these pumps is overmedication leading to narcotic-induced respiratory depression. Several current PCA pumps offer advanced error-reduction features designed to minimize the odds of an accidental overdose: dose error reduction systems, bar-code readers, and computer-based pump-programming systems that entail downloading infusion protocols via a hardwired connection to a PC. The availability of these features plays a dominant role in our ratings. We tested 11 pumps from seven suppliers. Two pumps are rated Preferred because they offer easy-to-use advanced error-reduction features that have been proven effective in a hospital setting. Two other pumps offer computer-based programming and are rated Acceptable, although we note that not all facilities may be able to accommodate the workflow necessary to use the computer-based programming. The remaining pumps are rated Not Recommended because they lack advanced error-reduction features; although most of these pumps perform acceptably, better choices are available.