When to Use Each of the Different Methods for Priming Infinity Delivery Sets

With the recent addition of an auto prime feature on Infinity feeding pumps, patients have several different methods available to prime and prepare Infinity delivery sets. Here are a few tips and guidelines that you can follow to determine which priming method might be best for different situations. Additional information on how to use each method can be found in the infographic shown at the bottom of the page.

Will the patient be wearing a backpack?

An inverted manual priming method is recommended if the patient is wearing a backpack. The reason for this recommendation is that by holding the bag set upside down and manually priming, all of the air can be removed from the bag set and tubing, which will result in fewer air-in-line alarms. Fewer alarms typically lead to happier patients, and happier patients are more likely to follow their prescribed feeding schedules.

This is especially helpful in instances where the backpack may be tipped over or move a lot side-to-side. For example, when going to a doctor’s appointment, if the backpack holding the Infinity pump is taken off and put on the floor or seat beside the patient, it could be easily tipped over. If all of the air hasn’t been removed from the bag set and tubing, the pump could begin to sound an air-in-line alarm when an air bubble passes the pump’s sensors. However, if all air has already been removed from the bag set and tubing, the pump won’t sound an air-in-line alarm because all air bubbles have already been removed.

Will the pump be mounted to an IV pole?

If the Infinity pump will be mounted to an IV pole, there are several potential methods available to prime the delivery set.

If the Infinity pump has the auto prime feature, the auto prime method for priming the delivery set is recommended as it is the easiest method available. To use auto prime, it must first be enabled through the User Preference Settings on the pump.

Note: To determine if your Infinity pump has the auto prime feature, see the Infinity Auto Prime Infographic

If the Infinity pump DOES NOT have the auto prime feature, the delivery set can easily be primed using the “Hold to Prime” method. The downside to this method is that it is somewhat slower than manual priming, and requires pressing and holding the PRIME button throughout the priming duration.

Manual priming the delivery set is the fastest method available to prime the delivery set, and is often preferred by advanced users. This method requires a little bit of a learning curve as it requires a 2-handed operation: 1 hand to gently pinch the delivery set cassette to allow fluid flow, and 1 hand to gently squeeze the bag set.

More information on each priming method

In addition to the suggestions above, a new infographic has been created that describes the differences between each priming method, and provides some basic instructions on how to use each method.