Evaluation of infusion pumps and controllers: fourth report.

The evaluation of pumps and controllers is being undertaken for the DHSS within the Bath District Health Authority. Technical performance assessments are made at the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering; user assessments in various local hospitals; and equipment is tested to BS 5724 at the British Standards Institution Test House. A recent issue of 'Health Equipment Information' ('HEI') (No. 125), published in September 1984, contains evaluation reports on a further four infusion devices. This is the fourth report in the series: the first three were devoted to groups of instruments of broadly similar types. In this report, a mixed batch of syringe pumps, volumetric pumps and controllers is reviewed--the aim being to evaluate new instruments as soon as possible after they appear on the market. Edited versions of earlier reports have appeared in 'Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology' [1 and 2]. For full details of the evaluation findings readers should consult 'HEI' 125--the following are extracts from the report.