Personally, I have absolutely no axe to grind against Baxter (or, for that matter, against any equipment “manufacturer”, or country of origin), as, like most other
veterans in this game, I like to take each bit of kit on merit (and many first-class manufacturers have been known to come up with the occasional duffer). But may I make one quick point here that may not be universally recognised? That is that Baxter is what used to be known as a “catalogue company” (and a big, across-the-board catalogue at that). Certainly their earlier pumps (I’m thinking of the venerable 6100, for example) were OEM’d by others (Sharp in Japan, in the case of the 6100, if my memory serves me well). I suspect that their current range is similarly sourced “elsewhere”. In fact, if I had the time, I would open up the dead Colleague lying on the bench near to where I’m sitting and have a look (I’m talking about the IV pump, not my buddy – I’m working alone at the moment). I can see at a glance, however, that it is labelled “Made in Singapore”.
One of the reasons that I advocate removing the covers of every piece of new equipment encountered (ie, in order to have a look inside), is that then you know what you’re dealing with!
Meanwhile, for those not familiar with the Baxter range of pumps, the following link gives a fair idea:-
http://www.signaturemedical.com/baxter.html For older stuff, take a look at:-
http://www.medfurbish.com/v_refurbished_iv_pumps.htm (...there's a nice old Ivac 530 shown on that one, too)!
Lastly, those of us with fond memories of the 6100 may be pleased to hear that they are popular these days in veterinary clinics.
