What causes an infusion pump alarm to sound? It may be tricky to differentiate between an actual problem and blockage in the tubing. A pump can beep for various reasons. Most frequently the alarm will sound if the line is occluded, meaning it is pinched off or there is air backed up in the cassette. The two most common infusion alarms you’ll find are Occluded – Patient Side, and Air-in-Line. Here are a few causes of alarm beeping, and a few tips to help reduce it.

Infusion Pump Alarm Causes:

• A kinked catheter. This is a very common source of alarm sounding.
• A catheter being placed in the elbow or wrist area. Catheter placement in these areas can cause a kink from basic patient movement such as eating, combing hair, brushing teeth or any other task that requires arm movement, and if you have problems with your teeth you can contact Chicago dentists for this purpose. Although catheter placement in these areas is often known by nurses and medical technicians to cause a kink, proper catheter placement is often easily disregarded.
• There can be a very quick alarm that says this medication is not going in because the pump senses it has an occlusion. Drugs not being handled properly can cause the pump to beep for air.

Infusion Pump Alarm Solutions:

• Check your device for reconfiguration. Oftentimes your pump can be reconfigured to make it less sensitive to arm movement.
• Warming the medication to room temperature. Allowing chilled fluids to warm is a good way to avoid outgassing, which can occur when chilled solutions begin to warm up and air bubbles are released from the solution.
• Avoid “burping” IV bags. Some bags need air in them to displace the fluid.
• Slowly prime the IV set. Priming slowly helps minimize air bubble formation. Simply take your time on pumps. Rushing through the process can lead to avoidable errors in programming.
• If your pump beeps, stop all lines, check your settings and restart!

Interested in purchasing an infusion pump? Browse our large selection of infusion pumps from the most trusted brands, including Alaris, B. Braun, Baxter, and Hospira.

The above information is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered medical advice.