Sudden Battery Failures due to Improper Cleaning in Baxter Pumps May Lead to Interruption of Critical Medication Administration
The company Baxter, in reference to its Sigma Spectrum and Sigma Spectrum IQ Pumps for automated medication administration, notified its customers that improper cleaning of these pumps can lead to residue build-up or corrosion on the device. If the device is running only on battery power, this may lead to an unplanned shutdown without alarming or alerting the user. This may cause an infusion delay or an interruption in treatment.
Earlier this year, Baxter Healthcare recalled its Baxter SIGMA Spectrum infusion pumps with Master Drug Library (Versions 6 and 8) and Spectrum IQ Infusion Systems due to unplanned shutdown issues, which may be related to these battery issues.
Per the FDA on December 1st, 2020, there have been over 17,000 complaints about this device and 16 reports of serious injuries. No deaths have been reported. Several recommendations from Baxter in the recall notice are worthy of note for anyone using these devices:
- Follow approved cleaning instructions using only approved cleaning agents
- Plug pumps into AC power whenever possible to insure proper battery maintenance.
- Inspect all pumps for residue or corrosion on the rear electrical pins and battery contacts
If you would like more information on PROPER CLEANING and maintenance of these device please go to:
- Baxter’s Operations Manuals
- List of approved cleaning materials
The APSF continues to endorse and support patient safety in Medication Pumps including:
- APSF Stoelting Conference Presentation on Intravenous Medication Administration: Smart Pumps and Other Approaches to Reduce the Potential for Harm
- A review by Tim Vanderveen PharmD, MS et al on the infusion pump safety and best practices considerations “How Can We Tell How ‘Smart’ Our Infusions Pumps Are?”