About.com Rating
Updated May 20, 2013.
There are various types of I.V. poles available to hospitals. They come with different features with different capabilities and different price points. Hospital equipment planners should understand how long they can expect each type of pole to last.
Historically, I.V. poles have been considered by manufacturers, equipment planners, purchasing and contract agents, and hospital staff as "throw-away" equipment.
Use them until they break, which usually doesn’t require a long wait.
For I.V. poles, a hospital is like a battlefield, and poles have varying degrees of combat-readiness.
Cheap and Flimsy
There are an entire category of poles that cost less than $100 per pole. These typically have just 4 legs at the base, inexpensive casters, exposed nuts and bolts, a chrome-plated pole, and 2 hooks at the top to hang I.V. bags. At this price, these poles are a Purchasing Agent’s dream, but it’s important to evaluate the cost over time, including repair and/or replacement costs to determine true value.
Price Range: Less than $100
Lifespan: Usually 1 week to 6 months
Mid-Grade Quality and Price
The most noticeable upgrade to the poles in this category? The 5-star base. I.V. pole manufacturers have decreased the risk of tipping considerably for the same reason that our office desk chairs are no longer made with just 4 wheels. You should get 5 rubber and scuff-resistant, 3" casters. Safety improves, but for many poles, infection control does not.
There are still exposed hardware grooves where dirt, bacteria, and germs can grow by avoiding even the most diligent housekeeper.
Price Range: $150 - $300
Lifespan: Usually up to 1.5 years
High Quality and Price
At the higher end of the cost and quality spectrum you should find the following enhancements in your I.V. poles:
- Stainless steel pole
- At least 4, if not 6 hooks to hang I.V. bags
- A weighted base (typically in the 20 - 25 lb. range) to help prevent tipping
- 5 or 6 durable rubber casters
- Ability to purchase and mount optional accessories
Lifespan: Usually up to 3 years
The New Standard
Recent ingenuity has provided specifiers, purchasing and contract agents, and equipment planners with a paradigm shift: The I.V. Pole as Investment.
Safepole may change the game. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t last for several years. It is built to protect itself like no other pole.
Safepole’s Unique Protective Feature
A domed shield made of heavy-duty ABS plastic, covers the industrial-grade, noise-reducing, 3" rubber wheels. The casters have double ball-bearings to ensure the base glides gracefully over door jambs and elevator crevices. Caster break-down, the most common reason for I.V. pole failure and replacement, should be a rare occurrence for the Safepole.
Preventing Tangle Hazards
Casters often break because of the things that get tangled in them, such as electrical cords, infusion tubing, drainage bags. Safepole’s covered dome prevents the tubes, wires, and cords from reaching the casters. The built-in, standard router also prevents tangles by guiding the I.V. tubes in an organized manner as they hang from the bags.
Reducing the Risk of Tipping and Tripping
Poles can become damaged when they fall over and hit the floor. Typically oncology and cardiology patients, to name just a few, require multiple infusion pumps mounted to their poles. The weight can make the pole top-heavy, and for a sick patient struggling to maintain their balance, this scenario increases the risk of falls.
The Safepole may be the first I.V. pole that can be considered an investment because of its durable features:
- The covered dome reduces a patient’s risk of tripping, thus preventing a fall and the pole from hitting the floor
- The covered dome also acts as a bumper against hospital furniture, equipment, and walls, further protecting the Safepole from damage
- The utility basket and handle are built-in as standard components to the Safepole, thus eliminating the need to purchase accessories that attach to the pole with a clamp that could break
Lifespan: There are Safepoles in use that are 3 years old...and still going