A SYSTEM FOR STANDARDIZED EVALUATION OF PATIENT-CONTROLLED ANALGESIA DEVICES - DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS

Objective. Our objective was to design, construct, and assess an autom ated system to perform standardized evaluation of patient-controlled a nalgesia (PCA) devices. Methods. We developed a computer-controlled te st station. The computer activates the PCA device under test through a purpose-built serial interface device. The dose delivered is weighed on an electronic balance; then, at a predetermined interval, the compu ter interrogates the balance via the serial interface device to determ ine the weight gain. A robotic digit simulates patient button presses for four commonly used demand mechanisms. Software programs were writt en to test three types of patient-demand profile. Results. The automat ed system is sufficiently accurate for evaluating PCA devices and has been successfully used to perform and evaluate several thousand demand s on six different models of PCA device. Conclusions. The test station has proved to be simple to use and extremely reliable, and has enable d the successful evaluation of several types of PCA device.