How to administer your medication using a Curlin® pump

Hi, I'm Helen and I'm going to walk you through how to administer your medication using a curling pump.

You'll be using this pump to make sure your medication infuses at the rate ordered by your doctor.

There are 7 steps you'll need to follow and you can jump to anyone at any time using the chapters below.

Let's start by making sure you're using a clean area at home.

You can wash the surface with soap and water or a disinfectant wipe.

You can use your sash preparation mat as a clean work surface.

Use soap and water or disinfectant wipes after each use to keep your sash mat clean.

Now go ahead and wash your hands really well for at least 20 seconds.

Apply enough liquid soap to cover the entire surface of your hands.

Use a nail brush to clean under your nails if needed.

Rinse your hands thoroughly and dry them with a paper towel or clean unused hand towel and use that same towel to turn off the faucet.

If you don't have access to soap and water, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

Making sure you have a clean area and clean hands during every step is really important to help prevent infection.

Next, make sure you've got all your supplies ready to go on your sash mat or other clean work surface.

Curling pump, 2C batteries, pump tubing, back check valve if instructed to use.

Medication bag at room temperature, 2 prefilled saline syringes, 1 prefilled heparin syringe if ordered.

Alcohol pads, pump carrying pack if instructed to use.

You'll want to check your medication and label for the correct patient name, correct medication, correct dose, and that it's not expired.

And the solution should be clear, consistent in color, and free of any visible particles.

If it's not, call us right away.

If you will be using a pump carrying pack, make sure there is no air in the medication bag.

Most bags will already have the air removed by the pharmacy.

Follow instructions provided by your nurse if the air needs to be removed.

Once all of your supplies are ready, wash your hands again for at least 20 seconds.

If you touch something other than your supplies after washing your hands, you need to re wash your hands or you can use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

If your medication was refrigerated, you need to let it warm to room temperature before you move on.

And no shortcuts here.

It's not safe to ever use hot water or a microwave to warm your medication.

OK, on to the pump.

First, insert new batteries.

Slide the switch on the battery door to unlock it.

Then slide the door off.

Insert new batteries facing in the same direction with the poles facing up.

Avoid mixing new and used batteries at any point.

Then replace the battery door and slide the switch back to lock it.

Take the administration tubing out of its wrapper and unfold the tubing, then close the clamp on the tubing.

If you've been instructed to use a back check valve, take the blue caps off the end of the back check valve and the administration tubing, and then screw the ends together, blue to blue, being careful not to touch the ends with your fingers.

Twist and break off the yellow tab on the flow stop clamp.

Now, without touching the end of the medication bag port with your fingers, remove the tab.

Then take the white cover off the spike end of the IV tubing and push the spike into the port of the medication bag, twisting as you push it so it reaches the Ridge.

Now put the yellow flow stop clamp into the square hole under the end of the pump door on the left side.

Put the square blue tubing guide into the square hole under the end of the pump door on the right side.

Make sure the administration tubing rests in the notch in front of the pump door on the right.

Close the pump door and latch it so it's flat on top of the pump.

Turn on the pump by pressing on.

You should know that the pump has been programmed for you by our Coram clinicians. For your safety, these settings are locked.

So, you'll just be confirming the settings the same way every time you use it.

When program is highlighted on the screen, press the YES key and then when Repeat RX is highlighted you press yes again.

If you are given the option to resume, arrow down to repeat RX and press yes.

Now you should see press run to start and you will press prime.

Make sure the administration tubing is not connected to you yet and check to make sure the cap is still on and the clamp is open.

When you see disconnect patient, press and hold prime until the pump starts.

If priming doesn't begin, press and hold prime again.

When priming your tubing, leave the protective cover on the end and hold it over its package or another small clean container to catch any drops.

It's important to be careful with the end of the tubing.

You don't want it to touch anything and become contaminated.

Keep holding the prime key until the fluid drips from the end of the pump tubing, then stop pressing the prime key.

To exit the priming step, press yes and close the clamp.

Now your pump and tubing are ready to go.

It's likely you've heard us talk about SASH or S-A-S-H to help you remember several of the steps, and we're going to use SASH again today.

The first part of SASH is the saline, which you'll use to flush your catheter.

If you have a double lumen catheter flush as directed by your nurse or pharmacist. Hold the saline syringe with the tip pointing up and press firmly on the plunger while the tip cap is still on until you feel a click or see the plunger move.

Then loosen the tip cap and gently push the plunger to remove any air.

Re tighten the cap before placing the syringe back down.

Use a new alcohol pad to clean the injection cap for 15 seconds and let it air dry for five seconds.

Be careful not to touch the top of the injection cap with your fingers.

Go ahead and open the clamp on your IV catheter or extension set.

Remove the tip cap from the saline syringe, then push the saline syringe onto the injection cap and twist it clockwise until it's secure.

The tip of the syringe is sterile, so do not touch it or lay it down on any surface while the cap is removed.

If it does come in contact with something, throw it away and get a new one.

Push the plunger in slowly to flush the catheter with as much saline as instructed.

If you don't know how much to use, call us and we'll confirm.

Administer your saline flush as instructed by your nurse.

This can be done slow and steady or by the pulse method.

To use the pulse method, push the plunger, then stop for a second and then push the plunger again.

When you have flushed all of the saline into the catheter, remove the syringe from the injection cap and discard the syringe as instructed by your nurse.

One note, if it's hard to push in the plunger during any flush, check to make sure all the clamps are open.

And if you have pain, burning or swelling when flushing, stop right away and call us.

Now you're ready to administer your medication, the second part of SASH.

Scrub the catheter injection cap again with a new alcohol pad for 15 seconds and let it air dry for five seconds.

Be careful not to touch the top of the injection cap with your fingers.

Take the protective cap off the end of the tubing, being careful not to touch the sterile end with your fingers.

Connect the end of the pump tubing to the catheter injection cap by pushing it in and turning it clockwise until it's secure.

Open all the clamps on the tubing.

When the screen shows, press run to start.

Press the run key.

The pump will start and the green run light will flash to show that your medication is infusing.

And if for any reason you had to stop an infusion before it finished, you can select resume to start it again and complete it.

Or you can reset the pump and start a new bag by selecting Repeat RX.

Now you can put the bag and pump in the backpack and move around as you like during the infusion.

Take a deep breath, you're doing great.

When it is a scheduled time to change your medication bag, you will repeat steps two, three, and four, including preparing your new medication bag, replacing your pump batteries, priming your new tubing and administering a saline flush.

Press the pause key and then press the off key.

Clamp the tubing and disconnect it from your catheter injection cap. If you will be connecting a new bag of medication, once you attach the new tubing, the pump will display Repeat RX or resume.

Make sure Repeat RX is highlighted and press the YES key.

If this is the end of your infusion, proceed to the following steps.

Now you’ll do another saline flush, the third part of SASH and you'll follow the same steps as earlier.

Hold the saline syringe with the tip pointing up and press firmly on the plunger while the tip cap is still on until you feel a click or see the plunger move.

Then loosen the tip cap and gently push the plunger to remove any air.

Re tighten the cap before placing the syringe back down.

Use a new alcohol pad to clean the injection cap for 15 seconds and let it air dry for five seconds.

Be careful not to touch the top of the injection cap with your fingers.

Remove the tip cap from the saline syringe, then push the saline syringe onto the injection cap and twist it clockwise until it's secure.

The tip of the syringe is sterile, so don't touch it or lay it down on any surface while the cap is removed.

If it does come in contact with something, throw it away and get a new one.

Push the plunger and slowly or use the pulse method to flush the catheter with as much saline as instructed.

If you don't know how much to use, call us and we'll confirm.

If you were given heparin and told to use it to flush your catheter, continue with these next steps.

Otherwise, you can jump right to the final step, which is cleanup.

The heparin flush is the last part of SASH.

Hold the heparin syringe with the tip pointing up and press firmly on the plunger while the tip cap is still on until you feel a click or see the plunger move.

Then loosen the tip cap and gently push the plunger to remove any air.

Re tighten the cap before placing the syringe back down.

Use a new alcohol pad to clean the injection cap for 15 seconds and let it air dry for five seconds.

Be careful not to touch the top of the injection cap with your fingers.

Remove the tip cap from the heparin syringe, then push the heparin syringe onto the injection cap and twist it clockwise until it's secure.

The tip of the syringe is sterile, so don't touch it or lay it down on any surface while the cap is removed.

If it does come in contact with something, throw it away and get a new one.

Push the plunger in slowly or use the pulse method to flush the catheter with as much heparin as instructed.

If you don't know how much to use, call us and we'll confirm.

When you're done, take the syringe off the injection cap and clamp the catheter or extension set.

Now your final step is clean up.

Go ahead and throw away the used alcohol pads into your trash.

You can also throw your used flush syringes into your trash, unless your nurses told you to dispose of them in your sharps container.

You can discard the empty medication bag and tubing in your trash as well.

Clean your sash mat and put it away for next time.

This may all seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you do this a few times, you'll feel more comfortable.

And remember, as a corn patient, our team is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Thank you for watching.