EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Micrel syringe driver

I would like to know if any hospital currently use the micrel syringe driver. http://micrelmed.com/index.aspx?productid=9
I know there is an issue with a certain syringe driver that has just been released, on where the battery now only lasts 25hrs.
I work at a trust that is looking at an alternative device, any advice on the micrel would be helpful.

The Micrel has received "mixed reviews" in an earlier thread.

Reliability wise the pump is good, we have got a good few out there and failure rate is low, beware the uk agent will not supply parts unless you complete a 1 day training course at £2000 per head. Also watch delivery charges £150 was on one of our orders.

Has anyone had a go at getting spares directly from Athens (ie, the factory)?

It's always worth a try.

Some years ago I had some success in "circumventing" the local agent when I needed parts for similar equipment* made in Israel. The factory was also very generous in providing "hard to find" technical information (and drawings - for the identification of parts) as well.

On the other hand, if the course was in Athens, then perhaps it would be worth a go!

* No prizes for guessing which one. I also know a guy who went out to Caesarea for a week to get trained.

Hi

Just in case my signature doesn't work, I work for Inspiration Healthcare, who are the UK agents for Micrel

To answer the questions posted above and on the other thread Geoff linked to;
The batteries, which are 6 x AAA of your choice, can last up to 3 months (at 40mm travel per day). The more you use it, obviously it uses the batteries more but even with the cheapest batteries fitted it will exceed 25 Hrs, probably even 25 days. This makes a huge difference to the budget holder, if they factor this in for the life of the product
The buckle to secure the syringe is fairly robust and does not have any Velcro on it
The contract we have with Micrel limits the selling of spare parts to trained individuals, it also helps with our regulatory compliance and makes practical sense. If anyone from within the UK approaches Micrel, they pass the query to us to answer on their behalf, that's the point of having a dealer in a country
We offer service training on this product, the same as we do for lots of products we sell, there is a charge but it is less than £2,000 per person. We also provide refresher training at a discounted price but this is only for those who we have previously trained (we know who we've trained, obviously). We don't perform train the trainer on this product as we are not allowed to but we do this on some products we provide training for, it really depends on the stance taken by the manufacturer.
For the delivery charge of £150, this sounds like a dedicated vehicle was used, not UPS but as I do not know where you are or what you bought, I cannot comment further.
The Micrel MPmlh+ syringe driver requires servicing every 3 years but we recommend checking it every year for accuracy

So not in Athens, then.

Thanks for that information, Mark. Very useful and concise.

If you fancy replacing all the syringe drivers at a trust Geoff, I am sure we can discuss a visit to Athens 😁

Hi, I've just conducted a evaluation and review of the Micrel micropump to determine whether it would be a suitable alternative to our NHS Trust's current syringe driver. The UK agent (not Mark) came along to 5 different evaluation sessions so our clinical teams could have a good look and 'play' around with the syringe driver and they concluded: the device has some definite positives - lightweight and long battery life but it is very basic and has a number of significant drawbacks to it which could impact significantly on patient safety. I am happy to share our findings on this evaluation with you individually rather than an open forum - I have shared these with the UK's agent from Inspiration Health. I've also heard the NHS will be conducting a nationwide clinical trial to evaluate this device so it will be interesting to read the results of this.

Welcome to the forum, Doctor.

Thanks for your useful post.

When discussing Micrel pumps, I believe we need to be precise about which model we are actually referring to; especially bearing in mind they are aimed at different (various) clinical applications.

MP 101+
MP Daily+
MP mlh+
MP Thalapump 20

Also, we need to consider which drivers we should compare them with ... the CME T-34 ... or the ("good old") MS-16A or MS-20?

The major competitor CME dont take this stance with spare parts!