Global Medical Manufacturer Selects Paragon Innovation to Redesign Leading Insulin Pump


B. Braun Insulin Pump

B. Braun is a leading manufacturer of infusion therapy and pain management products with an environmentally-friendly focus. Guided by the company’s “Sharing Expertise®” philosophy, B. Braun addresses the critical issues of infection prevention, medication safety and environmental responsibility by promoting best practices that help clinicians reduce medication errors, prevent healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) and achieve sustainability objectives.

Due to the safety critical nature of the products B. Braun produces, stringent development and verification processes are required. Only after passing the verification tests is a product allowed to be sold. This demonstrates the importance of having a complete test procedure.

Challenge

B. Braun recognized a need with in the infusion pump arena. They could leapfrog their competition and improve their market share by providing a pump that assists in reducing the primary source of drug delivery mistakes: human error.

To program a typical infusion pump, several key presses are required. An error during this setup can result in the incorrect dosage being delivered to the patient, resulting in the harm or possibly death of the patient. And, this is only one of the problems present. Another potential disaster is the delivery of the incorrect drug to the patient.

Solution

To reduce the potential for either of these scenarios, a barcode reader was incorporated into the design of the infusion pump. When a drug is to be administered, barcodes preprinted on the drug would specify patient ID, drug name, and required dosage. This allows for automatic configuration of the pump and prevents administration of the drug to the wrong patient.

Result

  • Project was delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.
  • Complete hardware and software documentation – including IP rights – was provided to B. Braun.
  • Documentation supplied exceeded the expectations of B. Braun, easing the verification and qualification process.
  • The design is for a base product. Only a change in the assembly process is needed to build a variety of products, increasing its ROI.

The B.Braun Outlook Infusion Pump continues to be sold and used today.

Top