Alaris pump: how does it actually only allow secondary line like meds to run?

[seks]

Primary infusion such as NS or LR hung lower than secondary line/infusion such as meds.

As soon as you set up the secondary infusion and press start, what mechanism does Alaris use to block the influx of fluid from the primarly line at the Y site and only allow the secondary line to infuse????????

Hope someone understands what I'm getting at and trying to figure out

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

We don't have an Alaris pump but I have seen flyers that they are coming to demo them and we might switch to them but what you describe sounds like all the pumps I have worked with.

[RNCEN]

The pump does not know that one bag is higher, or change anything about it's action other than the delivery rate. The bag that is positioned higher will infuse until it is empty (more hydrostatic pressure than lower bag), then the lower bag will infuse...simply due to gravity and the pressure differential. You can do the same thing with no pump...try it with some colored fluid in one bag, and set up a gravity drip with a secondary setup. You can visualize what occurs.

[meandragonbrett]

Gravity

[mkjh]

Gravity. It would do it with or without a pump.

[EDNurse74]

Ok two questions, two scenarios, two answers, one of which I hope is what you were asking for.

A: If you have two fluids and you decide to Y site them at the most distal port from the bag of fluids (or the port closest to the pt) you would need two channels attached to the pump with each pump set at their med and infusion rate.

B: If it is a medication that is piggybacked into the mainline (such as the line attached to the fluids) and it is Y-sited above the channel you basically need to have the primary (or fluids you want infused first) to be hanging higher than the other infusion. So set the pump primary and secondary as appropriate

Or just go with good old gravity and hang the bag you want infused first higher. If you want them to go in at the same time (such as when MD orders 2L bolus and I just piggyback them) then hang them level.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Ok two questions, two scenarios, two answers, one of which I hope is what you were asking for.

A: If you have two fluids and you decide to Y site them at the most distal port from the bag of fluids (or the port closest to the pt) you would need two channels attached to the pump with each pump set at their med and infusion rate.

B: If it is a medication that is piggybacked into the mainline (such as the line attached to the fluids) and it is Y-sited above the channel you basically need to have the primary (or fluids you want infused first) to be hanging higher than the other infusion. So set the pump primary and secondary as appropriate

Or just go with good old gravity and hang the bag you want infused first higher. If you want them to go in at the same time (such as when MD orders 2L bolus and I just piggyback them) then hang them level.

The OP was talking about situation B. And as other's said, the Alaris pump does not "know" which one is higher, which is the secondary, etc. Isaac Newton (or his laws/theories) dictates which one runs, not the Alaris pump.

[Mimi,RN]

Also, ( unless the Alaris pump has changed in the last year) if you hang the piggyback ( higher) and forget to hit the start or forget to unclamp...the pump will not alarm and will continue to infuse the primary. Dang now piggyback late!