The Not-So-Mythical Winged Horse—Pegasus Lab Animal Infusion Pump
Posted on Jan 16, 2012 by SolomonScientific
It’s not so mythical any longer. An integration of the Pegasus® pump (Venner Medical GmbH) and the Orchesta® wireless automation system has yielded the most advanced research animal IV pump system—The Pegasus Lab Animal Infusion Pump System for use in dogs and nonhuman primates (monkeys).
The Pegasus pump is CE-marked and has been approved for human-use in Europe for over a decade. It is commonly regarded as the smallest, lightest and most accurate IV drug pump. And that reputation extends into the preclinical research field as well where the device has been used at major pharmaceutical and CRO sites for many years in canine and nhp models for toxicology and safety pharmacology studies. It is branded as the Orchesta Model 500 for preclinical (nonhuman) applications.
Orchesta is a wireless automation tool comprising Windows-based software which allows researchers to control a portable pump in a jacketed animal without directly contacting the animal. Such reduced human-animal contact creates a more homeostatic state in the animal and limits mutual exposure to allergens, disease, and injury. Additionally, the automated pump programming, remote monitoring, and electronic data collection and reporting reduce the man- hours required to conduct an infusion study. More accurate data collection results from the automatic data recording (paperless). And the opportunities for human error are reduced by orders of magnitude.
The wireless components are based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard which is similar to the Zigbee protocol but more advanced for the unique challenges of GLP preclinical infusion studies. The entire Orchesta system is compatible with FDA Part 11 (21 CFR 11) requirements. The system’s range is quite far, and the wireless signal has been tested worldwide to establish that it is compatible with a variety of other wireless standards (WiFi, BlueTooth, etc).
Historically, the choices for ambulatory programmable pumps (syringe, peristaltic) have imposed constraints on infusion studies. Portable syringe pumps offer small size and weight and provide accurate pumping, but the small syringes necessitate frequent access to the animal to change syringes. Peristaltic pumps, while having large fluid reservoirs and adequate accuracy, are larger and heavier than the syringe pumps. The Pegasus (both peristaltic and micro-piston versions) dispenses accurately at both high and low flow rates, has large drug reservoirs, and is as small as a syringe pump.
