| Previous: PERIPHERAL NERVE STIMULATOR | Next: PERITONEAL DIALYSIS CLAMP |
| Typical Number in Hospital: 50 | Cost Bands: 3 | References: |
The pumping of blood and other fluids which must not be contaminated is often performed using a peristaltic pump. A roller or vane squeezes a flexible tube against a shoe so forcing the fluid forward from the closed point of tube. The rollers or vanes may be on the outside of a rotating wheel, with sufficient (two or more) rollers/vanes to ensure that there is always at least one closed point in the tube, thus preventing back-flow. Roller pumps are commonly used in haemodialysis and in the heart/lung pump.
A very common type of pump for intravenous fluids also produces a peristaltic flow. The plastic tube leading from the bag or bottle on the drip stand to the intravenous needle (i.e. the 'giving set' or 'drip-set') passes through a special gate in which it is occluded between a row of 'fingers' which are moved by a cam mechanism to squeeze the closed point forward.
Content and Design Copyright 2000 Dr. Malcolm C Brown. See Title Page for more details