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Abbott Laboratories Introduces the LifeCare(R) PCA3 Infusion System, a State-of-The-Art Patient-Controlled Analgesia Device; - New Device by Industry Leader is First to Incorporate Built-in Bar Code Reader -.

Article Excerpt
Further advancing its industry-leading initiative to help reduce medication errors and enhance patient safety in hospitals, Abbott Laboratories announced today the recent introduction of its LifeCare(R) PCA3 Infusion System (PCA3) -- a state-of-the-art patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device. PCA devices are designed to allow hospital patients to control the flow of their pain medication, within carefully specified limits.

Enhancements -- most significantly in the realm of bar coding -- have allowed Abbott's PCA3 to register two important "firsts" in patient safety. A built-in bar code reader -- one that works in concert with bar-code labeled Abbott prefilled vials that snap into the pump -- makes PCA3 the first PCA pump to incorporate this integrated safety feature. The second significant advancement is that the PCA3 identifies drug name and concentration within the vial and automatically inputs the information into the pump program. These two "firsts" should help address many preventable errors...