Calibration of Infusion Pumps Analyser

Abstract

Nowadays, infusion pumps such as syringe pumps and peristaltic pumps are commonly used for drug delivery, in situations where the delivery dose has stringent limits and high risk impact. In order to ensure the metrological traceability of these flow and volume measuring equipment it is necessary to use suitable calibration methods and standards. One of the methods typically used in hospitals is relying on an Infusion Device Analyser (IDA). This is a secondary method, and consists on comparing directly the flow generated by the infusion pump with the IDA. The IDA can be calibrated by gravimetric or by the use of a precision syringe pump. In this paper the results of the two calibration methods are compared. Moreover, a new calibration method using a Coriolis meter is evaluated. The uncertainty budgets of the three methods are described in detail.