Constant Rate Infusion (CRI) is a pain medication or treatment delivery method that uses a syringe pump. While some veterinary clinics choose to perform their CRI with an IV fluid bag, using a syringe pump eliminates the risk of fluid overload since the fluid amounts are much smaller.
Drugs can be combined in one syringe (with a single delivery IV line) or separated into separate pumps (with several syringe pumps and IV lines).
Because the fluid amounts are much smaller within constant rate infusion using a syringe pump, there is no risk of fluid overload.
Veterinarians often use constant rate infusion (CRI) to deliver the following treatments:
- Analgesics like morphine, fentanyl, ketamine, lidocaine, and dexmedetomidine
Cardiovascular drugs like dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, procainamide, diltiazem, and nitroprusside
Anti-seizure meds like phenobarbital, diazepam, and midazolam
Anesthetics like narcotics, propofol, and etomidate
Why is constant rate infusion (CRI) beneficial?
It maximizes patient comfort
Before, during, and after procedures that can cause patients pain, it’s important to administer drugs to reduce pain and stress on their bodies to enable recovery. However, administering these drugs by hand can end up taking physiological and psychological tolls on patients, varying in intensity and duration.
CRI makes consistent and calculated pain management possible. Where administering boluses of drugs at specific intervals results in a “peak and valley” effect on a patient, technicians can easily increase or decrease a dose limit during constant rate infusion to provide a more effective and predictable pain treatment.
It's versatile in function
Clinics across the country use CRI for a diverse range of applications. They administer combinations of morphine, lidocaine, and ketamine (MLK) for procedures such as:
Orthopedic repair
Abdominal exploration
Ovariohysterectomies
Castration
Minor dental procedures
… among others.
It removes the need for frequent redosing
Reduced frequent redosing simplifies drug administration in clinics and also makes those processes less prone to error. After calculating dosing information (as an amount of drug per unit of patient body weight per unit of time), your syringe pump and your constant rate infusion plan do the work for you, minimizing pain for the patient and maximizing time and availability for veterinary staff.
Want to know more about constant rate infusion (CRI)?
For over 35 years, AIV has been committed to offering high-quality products and services by helping medical facilities everywhere extend the life of their medical equipment while managing overhead costs.
AIV supports veterinary facilities by providing low-cost patient-ready infusion pumps, infusion pump repair services, and infusion pump accessories for over 17 years. We work closely with clinics that carry out CRI treatments by supplying them with the equipment they need and servicing that equipment from time to time.
Learn more about your preferred infusion pump below.
To begin or improve constant rate infusion in your facility, contact us to learn how AIV can support you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Collier
Laura Collier has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of North Florida. She is the Marketing Manager at AIV, Inc.