The promise of smart pumps aside, the economic realities are pressing for many healthcare providers who are motivated to hang onto their old pumps.

"From last year to this year we are seeing a lot more of a 'repair versus replace' mentality. With the economy the way it is, hospitals and their capital budgets have been streamlined down to almost nothing," says Goodhart. "Not just in infusion pumps, but PCAs, syringe pumps and other types of equipment that are repairable. If you can box it up and send it out, it makes sense to repair versus replace to stretch out that life cycle."


Typical repairs on pumps include the circuit boards, the pump mechanisms themselves, power supply, door replacement, air sensor calibrations and replacement, as well as pole clamp inspection, and battery replacement. Industry experts have also told DOTmed that these devices are prone to operator error, which may be confused for equipment failure.

Preventive maintenance is also important, and recommended every six months, according to Bob Caples, President, Med-E-Quip Locators, Inc., Maryland Heights, MO, which sells new and used equipment. All of the pumps he sells include a computer-generated recertification document of all work performed on each infusion device. "This document shows, line by line, every test we performed that meets the manufacturer's and the Joint Commission's preventive maintenance infusion pump requirements." The units are also guaranteed to pass hospital biomedical checks, he noted.

U.S. and global market forces take their toll

The economic situation is also an inducement for healthcare providers to rent pumps, which can be done for about half the cost of buying new ones.

"They have to decide whether to put out that capital outlay or rent them," says Kevin Mullane, Owner, HR Medical, Houston, TX. "They want me to take care of [the pumps] so they don't have to worry about it."

"One of the interesting scenarios we run into is that some hospitals are reluctant to buy pre-owned devices, but they are the same hospitals that rent pumps all the time and it's the identical product," says Tom Creal. "The beauty of the business is that the technology doesn't change every single year. It changes every three to four years. So there is some stability."

Global trends also affect the U.S. markets for infusion pumps and perhaps all medical equipment. A global market trend toward business consolidation has resulted in a handful of players controlling most of the U.S. market including Baxter, Alaris (Cardinal Health), Hospira, Smiths Medical, and B. Braun.

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