Medical equipment is used in a number of different environments, including hospitals, hospices, ambulances and even in home care settings. Used by professionals and those who have been trained, the right medical equipment can quite literally be lifesaving. 

Whether it’s an emergency or a long-term illness, the use of medical equipment happens every day across the world.

One particularly important piece of medical equipment is a syringe driver, or syringe pump. They are used to gradually administer the right amount of fluids or medicine to a patient. Often used in the environments mentioned previously, they are designed to help safe and simple administration of medication, often amongst cancer patients. 

Important features of syringe drivers

Syringe drivers are used by the NHS and hospices around the UK. They are created with some highly beneficial features that make administrating medicine as straightforward as possible. They are often used to help manage pain, sickness or agitation.

Syringe drivers work by delivering the medicine at a constant rate. They can be used if patients find it difficult to take medicine orally, or if your symptoms simply can’t be managed with tablets or injections. Syringe drivers are also often used in the last weeks of life.

With that in mind, they are incredibly important in medicating patients and managing symptoms. Many syringe drivers are equipped with automatic calculation and volume detection features to make sure the medicine is administered correctly. A lot of them will also have an in-built computer and a display screen so you can see exactly what is being prescribed and if there are any problems with the driver itself.

The computer and screen may also allow you to view the infusion history and pump event log, which can be very helpful. Without the screen, which is powered by the battery, administrators could miss crucial data about the infusion and other related information.

Using the right battery

A syringe driver is powered by a battery, which allows the pump to work correctly and also mean that the driver is a portable device. The right battery for most syringe drivers is known as a 6LR61; a version of the 9V battery. It’s crucial to remember this when replacing the battery, as there is also a 9V 6LP3146 battery which is bigger and won’t fit in the device.

6LR61 batteries are made of 6 x LR61 (AAAA) cylindrical cells, which allow the battery casing to wrap tighter around the construction. Being slightly smaller, the 6LR61 battery fits in the syringe driver compartment without getting stuck. The recommended battery for use is the Duracell Ultra 6LR61.