The typical IV infusion pump has many different uses in medical settings all across the United States and throughout the world as a whole. After all, we are used to seeing the IV infusion pump in any hospital setting, and many of us have even benefited from the use of an IV infusion pump before. But though the IV infusion pump is often thought of as a very modern device, IVs and IV infusion pumps have been around in some capacity for a very long time, even if they were not as modern or advanced, as developed, as are the IVs and IV pumps that we use today. In fact, they date back to the late 1960s, now just about fifty years ago. Through this half of a century that has passed since those years, the IV and the IV infusion pump have become far more advanced, with smart pump technologies developed and put into use more and more frequently.
There is even more than one kind of IV infusion pump, with IV pumps and IV pump brands split up into two different categories and too different general uses. The large volume IV infusion pump is used to feed patients with nutrient solutions. These types of syringe infusion pumps or smart pumps are likely to be used primarily when dehydration becomes a concern in a patient. And dehydration is not uncommon and can result from any number of conditions. Young children are particularly at risk simply because they do not understand the necessity of staying hydrated at all times. When they get sick, they are more likely than adults to just simply refuse to drink. If they have a stomach virus and can’t keep anything down, the problem is likely to become exacerbated and their overall condition will worsen, even their symptoms that are not directly related to dehydration. However, a quick course of IV fluids and spending some time in the hospital for observation can get them back on the path to recovery. Of course, dehydration does not just effect children. Adults can become dehydrated relatively easily as well, often suffering from the condition after spending too much time in the hot sun without water, something that can lead to heat stroke and various other (less severe) conditions. Stomach viruses are also often culprits of dehydration.
But small volume IV infusion pumps are also common in the medical world, though they have a much different use. The small volume IV infusion pump is used in the same way, but, as the name suggests, delivers lesser amounts of fluids to the patient. A patient will typical receive medication or hormones through a small volume IV infusion pump. The small volume IV infusion pump is often the most effective way to medicate a patient when they are in need of care because the medication is likely to be much faster acting than if the patient took the medication orally. IV infusion medications are also ideal because they can be given no matter what state the patient is in. For instance, an unconscious patient would obviously not be able to take an oral medication, but a medication given through the placement of an IV will still be very – if not even more – effective, with a bioavailability absorption that is at one hundred percent.
Smart infusion pumps have become particularly commonplace in the medical world, replacing manual pumps in many hospitals and other such medical centers. If you are unaware, the IV infusion pump delivers medication or other such fluids at a specified rate, something that can be done manually or through the use of a smart infusion pump. Of course, the smart infusion pump helps to streamline this process, freeing up the hands of nurses and doctors to focus on more critical and pressing issues with other patients, knowing that the medication delivery aspect of the job has been taken care of. In fact, smart pumps are so effective and have become so popular and widespread that now more than seventy two percent of all hospitals here in the United States alone are using them in some capacity.