Overdose of opioid from patient-controlled analgesia pumps

Abstract

Two incidents have occurred in our hospital when a patient-controlled analgesia pump has accidentally delivered the whole contents of the syringe of diamorphine (60 mg) over a period of approximately 1 h. Electrical corruption of the pumps' program has been identified as the probable cause. All pumps of this type have been modified to prevent such occurrences. © 1992 British Journal of Anaesthesia.