Sigma pump recall - New pumps yet?

Daliadreamer · May 31, 2011

Ours are going to be going live on June 14th. We are going to be training the staff next week. The super users have already gone through training. I wasn't aware of any recall though. That's interesting.

MunoRN, RN · May 31, 2011

Are you sure it's the Sigma Spectrum? We were told that the first priority was going to be to replace all the potentially defective Sigma's out there first before filling new orders, maybe you are getting recalled ones which will then get replaced later, although that seems odd.

They were recalled due to a defective pump bearing that can cause over infusion, under infusion, and free flow of drug into the patient. There is a temporary fix, an add on valve, although that only helps prevent over infusion and free flow but not under infusion. We've found the under infusion problem can be pretty significant, not just a cc or two less/hr, we had a patient who's levo was supposed be at 30cc/hr, their BP wasn't responding at all so we disconnected the levo line and watched it for a few minutes, absolutely nothing came out.

Daliadreamer · May 31, 2011

Now you have me thinking...I will have to go and check tomorrow when I go back to work. I have a pump locked up that I can look at when I get there.

Daliadreamer · Jun 1, 2011

Nope, it was a spectrum pump, not sigma. Sorry!

MunoRN, RN · Jun 1, 2011

I think "spectrum" IV pumps are Sigma (Baxter) brand, I don't know of any other IV pumps named Spectrum.