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Infusion pumps that are designed to deliver a predetermined amount of analgesic drug on demand, (i.e., when requested by the patient) as well as delivering continuous pain control. To prevent tampering or diversion, PCA pumps typically offer a method of securing the controls and medication container, which is connected to a proprietary administration set. The administration set tubing is connected to an intravenous catheter or other infusion device (e.g., epidural catheter, subcutaneous injection/infusion port). Typically, PCA pumps are programmed to deliver in any one of the following modes: demand dose, demand dose plus continuous infusion, or continuous infusion only; the pumps can also be programmed to deliver one-time doses (i.e., bolus or loading doses). PCA pumps are designed with specific safeguards that restrict the amount of drug that can be requested and delivered over a specific period of time (e.g., 1 mg of drug every 6 minutes for a total of 10 mg per hour). PCA pumps allow narcotic analgesics (e.g., morphine, meperidine, hydromorphone) and fentanyl to be administered as needed by the patient while keeping the amount within the prescribed limits and preventing unauthorized access to the medication. The software inherent in the PCA pump is typically capable of storing cumulative data regarding number of doses delivered, date/time of each dose delivered, number of requests received, and total volume of drug delivered. PCA pumps are intended for patient control of pain by permitting self-administration of analgesics (i.e., patient-controlled analgesic pumps) within pre-established limits; they are typically mounted on poles or used on tabletops but dedicated ambulatory pumps are also available.
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