Hi Lynn,
Are you able to shed light to this issue we are having regarding occlusion limits and PN filters? We are wondering if INS has guidelines as far as safe occlusion limit that we can set for infusion pumps. BBraun pump for example has occlusion settings that has a wide range to allow different occlusion limits for different IV medications or solutions. We were told by the manufacturer that they do not have any specific recommended occlusion limit for PN or other IV solutions. According to them it is safe to adjust the pressure to 200 or even higher for PN as long as it is infusing via a central line and as long as there are no signs of infiltration or actual occlusion. Hence, is it ok or safe to set a 500 pressure limit when using a 0.22 micron filter?
Thank you so much!
Sorry but I am very confused by your question. 200 and 500 what? Most electronic infusion pumps do not have variable alarm settings. This occlusion alarm is measuring backpressure, not infusion pressure. Most are also measured in pounds per square inch or PSI. The typical backpressure setting for a large volume, pole mounted electronic infusion pump is around 5 to 10 psi. Occlusion alarms means there is a problem. It means the pump is detecting some occlusion or obstruction somewhere along the line and the pump has reached its limit and will not pump any harder to overcome this occlusion. All filters have a maximum pressure that they will tolerate. Check the IFU for the filter for that max pressure. Check the details of the pressure settings on yur brand of pump. Please be specific with these details and we can probably figure this out.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
I apologize for the confusion...I copied the question emailed to me by a coworker hence, probably the reason for the clear as mud question :(
BBraun Outlook pump has occlusion settings that can be programmed for PN administration. How high of pressure setting is safe? Is there any INS guidelines about these pressure or occlusion limits? The 200 and 500 refers to mmHg or the occlusion limit we can program the pump to help with infusion and prevent any alarms going off.
Here is an excerpt i copied from the PDF file regarding BBraun Outlook 200:
Positive pressure is frequently a necessity, but clinical experience shows that high pressure limits may increase the severity of an infiltration without causing an alarm. Because there is a need to control pump pressure settings, the Outlook 200 has user-selectable Occlusion limit settings which start at 75 mmHg and extend to 500 mmHg. At rates of 400 ml/hr and higher, the pressure setting is automatically increased to 400 mmHg. For epidural infusions which require higher pressures, the pump has an extended occlusion limit setting of 750 mmHg.
Thank you so much for looking into this and helping with this question. I will also send your response to our team.
50 mm Hg = 1 psi. There is no INS guideline addressing your question. This is dependent upon the equipment you are using. Look at the label on the filter. What does it say about the amount of pressure it can tolerate? Call the manufacturer to learn this information if you cannot find it on the label. Then make sure the pump setting is equal to or less than the max tolerated by the filter. Label may be in psi but you have the conversion factor to figure it out.
Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NPD-BC, CRNI
Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.
PO Box 10
Milner, GA 30257
Website http://www.hadawayassociates.com
Office Phone 770-358-7861
Thank you Lynn!