Contents
This user guide (7700-05-0210 rev 0) covers the Instech Model 400 Syringe Infusion Pump for Research running the latest firmware:
UI: 1.1.xx
System: 1.1.xx
To upgrade your firmware, see Maintenance below.
Getting Started
Operation
Maintenance
Troubleshooting
Getting Started
Pump Overview
Pump Controls
Main Screen
Rear Connections
Quick Start
- Plug it in.
- Load your syringe, with syringe flange inside clip.
- Select syringe manufacturer and size (the pump will auto select the size if the syringe has a unique outer diameter).
- Enter flow rate, units and target volume.
- Press
button to engage syringe. - Optionally, press Prime to prime your infusion line using the pump.
- Press Start to infuse.
Specifications
See https://www.instechlabs.com/hubfs/pdfs/specifications/P400.pdf
Intended Use
Laboratory animal research. Not for human or veterinary use.
Operation
Setting up the Pump
Positioning
The pump can be placed flat on a surface or mounted vertically or horizontally using optional mounting hardware. Change the screen orientation through the Settings menu. When in the Vertical setting the pump should be mounted vertically with the syringe facing down. If you use the Vertical setting with the pump horizontal, or conversely if you use the Horizontal setting with the pump oriented vertically, the pressure monitor may not function properly. Do not mount the pump with the syringe facing up.
Power
The standard power source is the 12VDC adapter included with the pump. Contact Instech if you need streamlined power cabling for a group of pumps. If you need portability, or are not near AC power, you can run the pump with a small USB PD3.0 battery pack for many hours; plug it into the USB-C connector.
If power is interrupted during an infusion, the pump will auto-resume when the power is restored. Auto-resume will persist for outages up to 12 hours, and will give you 3 seconds to cancel it in case you are powering up and it is no longer relevant.
Syringe Selection
Syringe Library
The P400 pump includes a library of syringes from BD (plastic and glass), HSW/Normject, and Hamilton. Once you have selected the syringe manufacturer/type, if your syringe is installed and the syringe has a unique outer diameter, the pump will auto detect the size and display a green check mark. You may also manually select the syringe and then install it later. If your syringe does not have a unique OD, as is the case for some Hamilton syringes, you will need to manually select the syringe size.
The syringe library contains information on critical syringe dimensions including inner diameter (ID) for flow rate calculations, outer diameter for detection, and empty position. It is a good idea to check that the ID, which is displayed in the size selection menu, matches the syringe you are using because syringe manufacturers occasionally change the shapes of their syringes. For example, Monoject and Nipro syringes are not currently in the library due to inconsistent inner diameters.
If you would like a particular syringe added to the library, please contact Instech to see if it might be possible.
The syringe type and size will determine max and min flow rates, volume limits, and whether the Pressure Monitor, Auto-Close and Auto-Open functions are active. See the P400 Syringe Library (coming soon...) for details and see below for descriptions of these functions.
Custom Syringe
To use a syringe that is not in the library, press the Custom Syringe button. Enter the ID in mm and volume in mL, install the syringe so that the pump can record the outer diameter, and press Confirm. The Pressure Monitor will function with IDs larger than 4mm, but Auto-Close and Auto-Open will be disabled for all custom syringes. You cannot save a custom syringe to the library (library syringes require additional testing), but the syringe will remain active until you change to a different one.
Setting Flow Rate and Target Volume (Infusion Profile)
Enter flow rate and target volume in the Infusion Profile screen. Choose flow rate units from mL/min, mL/h, µL/min and µL/h. Volume units will adjust accordingly, and vice versa. Duration is calculated and displayed in hh:mm:ss. You will only be able to confirm the selections if they are within the limits for the syringe you have selected.
If you need to run a study without a defined target volume, such as a glucose clamp where rates will vary, enter the total volume of your syringe. You are able to change the flow rate while infusing without stopping the pump, but not the syringe or the target volume.
Engaging Syringe
When your syringe has been placed in the nest, press the button to engage the pusher arm. The P400 does not have a manual clutch like other syringe pumps. When Auto-Close is active (as indicated by the blue 
icon) a short of the button will close the arm and it will stop automatically when it senses the plunger. Auto-Close works with all standard plastic syringes, but some glass and microliter syringes have low friction and in those cases Auto-Close will be disabled and the icon will be grayed out. When disabled, you will need to close the pusher arm manually by holding down the button. If the pump does sense the plunger it will stop, but if not release the button once the arm touches the syringe plunger.
Once the arm has engaged the syringe and you have a valid syringe installed and a valid flow rate and target volume (three green check marks), the Start and Prime buttons will become active.
If you are using a large (typically 20mL or larger with BD) or low friction syringe and your output is below the pump it is sometimes possible for gravity to empty your syringe. In these cases, engage the Anti-Siphon clip to hold the plunger as shown. If siphoning is not possible with your setup, do not use the clip.
Priming
Press the Prime button if you want to fill your IV set using the pump. The pump will run at the Prime Rate (set in the Settings menu) while you hold your finger on the button. Choose a Prime Rate in µL/min that will fill the dead volume of your infusion set in a reasonable time. The Prime Volume will count up on the screen and will not be counted toward Delivered Volume. Priming using the pump is generally preferred to manual priming because it will remove slack in the system in the process, leading to more accurate dose delivery on startup.
Infusing
Press Start to begin your infusion. Time and volume, elapsed and remaining, are displayed.
Press either the red Stop button on the screen or the physical stop button if you need to pause in the middle of an infusion. You will be able to Resume where you left off or Cancel to reset time and volume delivered to 0. If you have to disengage the syringe and reengage, you will still be able to Resume so long as you have not changed syringe size.
During infusion, without pausing, you can change the Flow Rate or Pressure Alarm setting by touching those areas of the screen.
When your target volume has been reached (Delivery Complete), pressing Restart will deliver the same dose but not reset Delivered Volume (i.e., Delivered Volume will include the previous dose or doses). Pressing Cancel will reset both time and delivered volume.
You can set a Syringe Near Empty warning in minutes from empty in the Settings menu. This message will appear in yellow on the screen, and the status LED light will turn yellow, but the infusion will continue.
Monitoring Pressure and Responding to Occlusions
While infusing the pump will display an estimate of the pressure it is sensing in the syringe in PSI (1PSI=50mmHg). If you see the pressure rising you can respond to a potential problem such as a partial or full occlusion without waiting for the pump to alarm.
Press on the pressure gauge to set the Pressure Alarm: 10, 15 or 20PSI, or Off. Occlusion alarms are critical for animal safety, to avoid leaks or damage to the infusion set and catheter, and for confidence that the dose was delivered. The 10PSI Low setting will be triggered more quickly than the 15PSI Medium or 20PSI High settings. Syringe friction is included in this reading and friction will be more of a factor with smaller syringes. Choose a higher pressure setting if you are having false alarms; you may find the High setting more useful with 1mL syringes. Note that syringes, particularly those with rubber plungers, can go bad over time and become difficult to move, and in this case it is better to replace the syringe than to increase the occlusion alarm setting. We do not recommend turning the occlusion alarm off when infusing live animals.
If the pressure alarm is tripped the pump will stop and signal "Occlusion detected." Unless it was a momentary cause, pressure will be built up in the line. Hold the Release button down to move the pusher arm backward slowly and release this pressure. Delivered Volume will count backwards as you do this, which will improve dose volume accuracy. Watch the pressure gauge and when it is back to normal levels release the button. The arm will move backward at a rate of approximately 1mm per 5 seconds. From our testing, pressure from most typical occlusions should be released within 3-8 seconds. The arm will stop moving on its own if it senses no pressure. Once the cause of the occlusion has been resolved, press Resume to continue with the infusion. If you have had to change out parts of the infusion set you may use the Prime function prior to Resume.
The pressure sensor and alarms only function with syringes of 1mL and larger. Syringes with very small inner diameters can generate large pressures with only a small amount of force on the plunger, and therefore the pump cannot sense pressure changes accurately when inner diameters are below 4mm. In this case the pump will display pump force from 0-100%, where 100% is approximately 18lbs, the full limit of the pump. Take care to monitor your system carefully in cases where high pressures could be dangerous.
Removing the Syringe
To open the pusher arm for a new syringe, press the 
button. If Auto-Open is active (as indicated by a blue 
icon) a short press of the button will open the arm completely. Press the physical stop button if you do not want to open completely.
If the anti-siphon clip is still holding the plunger this could pull blood into the line, so the pump will check for negative pressure and stop with an Aspiration warning; unhook the anti-siphon clip and try again.
If Auto-Open is not active (as indicated by the gray 
icon), the arm will only move when you are holding the button down.
Settings
Enter the settings menu by clicking on the gear in the upper right corner of the main screen.
Vertical/Horizontal
Changes both screen position and expected orientation of the pump. See Positioning above.
Prime Rate
Sets the rate in µL/min at which the pump will run when the Prime button is held down. See Priming above.
Near Empty
Sets the timing for a "Syringe Near Empty" warning. The units are minutes, based on the current flow rate, before the plunger reaches the end of the syringe. Enter 0 if you do not want to see this warning.
Audible Alarms
Turn on or off audible alarms for pressure and syringe empty.
About
Displays firmware versions and serial number.
Reset Profile
Clears syringe selection and rate and target volume settings. Useful if you are finished using the pump and want the next user to start fresh. The pump will start up in the Syringe Selection menu rather than the main screen.
Calibrate
Password protected area for calibration and other pump settings. Changing values in this area without proper training and calibration equipment can disable the pump.
Maintenance
Updating Firmware
To update pump firmware, download the latest files (UI 1.1.xx, System 1.1.xx) [link coming soon...] and copy them onto a compatible USB drive (Sandisk preferred). Ensure that the only files on the drive are "ui.bin" and "sys.bin". Unplug the pump, place the USB drive into USB-A Update Port, then plug in the pump. Lights will blink and change colors for about 30 seconds. Once the start screen comes up, remove the USB drive. The software version is displayed on the start screen and in About in the Settings menu.
Cleaning
Follow your institution's guidelines for disinfecting and cleaning equipment. The following solutions may be safely used:
- 70% isopropyl alcohol
- 10% bleach solution
- Sporicidin solution
- Cidex solution
- Mild soap and water solution
Do not use strong detergents, organic solvents or solutions containing ammonium chloride on any portion of the pump. Do not immerse. Avoid spills or entry of fluid into the pump housing. Do not autoclave.
Calibration
The pump's accuracy will not change over time, but other sensors, including the force sensor for the pressure monitor and angle sensor for syringe detection, need periodic calibration. Most institutions calibrate annually. The pump may be returned to Instech for calibration, or if you have qualified personnel at your institution you may purchase a Calibration Kit to perform calibrations on site.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible Cause | Solution |