Principles of Flow Management Followed in Niki T34 Infusion Device Testing

Infusion devices are designed to deliver various types of medications like insulin, antibiotics, hormones, chemotherapy, and other pain relief drugs, or nutritional solutions, in situations where other methods of medication are either impractical or unreliable. 

While these devices are pretty safe, they are also involved in quite a number of safety issues if not maintained timely and appropriately. That is the reason, they are needed to be tested periodically to ensure they are safe and are in perfect working condition. Now when it comes to testing infusion devices like the CME Niki T34, certain principles are maintained, which are known as Principles of Flow Management.

Principles of Flow Measurement

The primary objective of testing infusion devices is to ensure that the device delivers the required flow rate, bolus and the volume in an accurate manner. Another objective of testing is to ensure that the occlusion alarms are in the perfect working condition, so much so that they get activated if and when necessary. Proper flow measurement ensures that the device is safe for the patient as well as the operator. That is the reason the experts would conduct the testing in real-life settings, which reflect the manufacturer’s recommendations to make sure that the device is fit enough to work within its specifications. Testing can involve a wide range of methods, and all of these methods have the common objective of measuring the accuracy of flow rate and the delivered volume of fluid over a specific range of time. 

The common Flow Measuring Principles for testing these infusion devices are: 

Volumetric Principle: Here the flow is measured after a certain volume of content has been delivered. The greater is the volume over a certain period, the greater is the flow. 

Mass Principle: In this method, the flow volume is calculated based on the temperature difference between the two points within the sensor of the Niki T34 infusion device. The greater is the temperature, the lower is the flow. 

Bubble Tracking Principle: In this method, the flow is calculated based on the displacement of an air bubble that has been inserted into the flow sensor. The greater is the displacement, the more is the flow. 

Pressure-Based Principle: In this method, the flow of the liquid is regulated within the flow sensor to a determined and set line pressure. The more is the potential pressure that builds up in the line, the greater is the flow rate. 

Displacement of the syringe Plunger: Here, the flow rate is calculated on the basis of the volume that is displaced by the syringe plunger over a certain period of time. The syringe-type and the volume are needed for providing an accurate calculation.

The occlusion alarm pressure along with the bolus delivery is also tested for maintaining the performance of the infusion device, more so in the PCA devices, where there is a self-medicated bolus. 

Thus you see, the combination of all these methods of testing ensures that the infusion syringe is in perfect condition.