ICU Medical/ Excelsior ESP 60 Syringe Pump | Battery-Powered

Overview

The ICU Medical ESP 60, originally produced by Excelsior Medical Corp. and brought into the ICU Medical infusion portfolio following ICU Medical’s 2018 acquisition of Excelsior, is a compact battery-powered syringe pump engineered for simple, single-button delivery of medications from 3 mL to 60 mL syringes. The ESP 60 is positioned as a low-complexity alternative to programmable smart syringe pumps: there is no drug library to load, no drip count to set, no spike or admixture step, and no rate keypad to program. The clinician inserts a primed syringe, selects one of three preset speeds, and presses a single Start key. The pump’s compact form factor and 1.2-lb weight make it well suited to bedside, transport, piggyback, and ambulatory-care contexts where a full-featured smart pump is unnecessary or impractical. The ESP 60 is intended for hospital-supervised use under the direction of a licensed pharmacist, nurse, or physician.

Display and User Interface

The ESP 60 uses a sealed membrane keypad on the front of the unit with discrete LED indicators rather than a graphical display. A flashing green LED above one of the three Start/Speed keys (Normal, Slow, X-Slow) indicates the active infusion speed. A separate green LED on the Audio Alarm key indicates the audible end-of-infusion or occlusion beep is armed; pressing the key silences the audible portion while leaving the visual alarm intact. A flashing red Attention LED signals end of infusion or occlusion, and a flashing orange Low Battery LED warns when the four “C” cells need replacement. If the optical encoder detects a travel-accuracy deviation greater than ±3%, all three speed lights and the Attention LED flash simultaneously, prompting the user to inspect the pusher arm for obstruction. The keypad is sealed against fluid ingress, allowing the device exterior to be wiped down with mild detergent or isopropyl alcohol between patients. Harsh solvents and silicone lubricants are contraindicated by the OEM as they can damage the plastic housing and internal mechanism.

Drug Delivery, Speeds, and Flow Rates

The ESP 60 drives the syringe plunger using a lead-screw and pusher-arm assembly verified against an optical encoder up to 670 times per second, giving a stated travel accuracy of ±3%. The three preset linear speeds correspond to pusher-arm rates of 5.48 inches per hour at Normal, 2.74 inches per hour at Slow, and 1.83 inches per hour at X-Slow. Because volumetric flow is determined by both linear speed and syringe barrel diameter, the resulting volumetric rates span 5.2 mL/hr at the slowest setting with a small Becton Dickinson syringe up to 77.5 mL/hr at the fastest setting with a 60 mL syringe. Infusion times for a 5 mL Monoject syringe range from 17 minutes at Normal speed to 51 minutes at X-Slow; a 50 mL Monoject syringe runs from 39 minutes at Normal to 116 minutes at X-Slow. Per the OEM operator manual, the ESP 60 is not indicated for narcotics, general anesthesia, chemotherapy, radioactive pharmaceuticals, fat emulsions, or blood products, and only single-use disposable syringes and microbore extension sets meeting Excelsior specifications should be used.

Software Versions and Platform Evolution

The ESP 60 is a fixed-firmware electromechanical pump and does not run user-upgradable software, MedNet, drug libraries, or wireless dose-error reduction software. The platform has been documented in successive editions of the OEM operator and service manual; the most widely circulated version is the 2009 Edition, Revision 3, dated February 2010, which corresponds to the current production hardware and is the reference document used by most biomedical departments servicing the ESP 60 today. Across its production history, the ESP family has included the ESP 60 (3–60 mL syringes, this model) and the larger ESP 140 (which uses a separate plug-in adapter and extra-large syringe clamp to accept syringes up to 140 mL); the ESP 140 was the subject of a 2006 Class II recall that the OEM affirmed did not affect ESP units operating in 60 mode with a 60 mL syringe or smaller. Mechanically, the unit is built around four field-replaceable subassemblies — the lead-screw/guide-rail assembly, the motor with gearhead, the syringe-clamp holder, and the occlusion slide potentiometer — each of which can be replaced in the field by a qualified biomedical engineer using only Phillips and hex tools.

Battery, Mounting, and Portability

The ESP 60 operates exclusively on four “C” size alkaline batteries, with no AC mains input and no rechargeable battery option. Typical battery life is approximately 400 hours, with actual runtime varying based on alarm duration and the backpressure encountered during infusion. The OEM specifies that fresh alkaline cells must be loaded with the negative (flat) terminal facing the top of the unit and the positive terminal toward the screw cap; only alkaline chemistry is supported. The pump will refuse to start a new infusion when the Low Battery LED is flashing, although an in-progress infusion may be safely completed before replacement. The unit weighs 1.2 lbs without batteries and measures 9.2 × 1.7 × 4.7 inches, with a stainless-steel hanger wire on the top of the case for IV-pole-hook mounting and a separate aluminum pole clamp with set-screw fastener for fixed pole attachment. Both mounting options are designed for tool-free repositioning at the bedside or during patient transport.

Service and Maintenance Considerations

The ESP 60 is designed for field service by hospital biomedical engineering and has no proprietary service-mode software or activation keys. The OEM recommends a periodic functional inspection at least every six months, covering syringe-clamp retention across the 5/6, 10/12, 20, 30/35, and 60 mL sizes; pusher-arm release and engagement; speed-key motor activation at all three speeds; end-of-infusion alarm verification; and audible-alarm silence behavior. Linear accuracy can be verified directly with a calibrated dial caliper measuring pusher-arm travel against the OEM-stated rates of 5.48, 2.74, and 1.83 inches per hour at ±3%. Occlusion pressure can be tested with a 20 mL syringe filled with water connected to a pressure meter; the OEM-specified nominal occlusion pressure is 16 PSI with an acceptable range of 8–24 PSI for the 20 mL test syringe (±50% from nominal for other syringe sizes). The lead-screw and guide rails should be lightly lubricated with petroleum jelly only — silicone lubricants are explicitly contraindicated as they will damage the plastic components. The unit is not waterproof and should not be sterilized; surface cleaning with a damp cloth and mild detergent or isopropyl alcohol is the only OEM-approved decontamination method.

IPR Medical — Buy, Sell, Repair, and Parts

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts for the ICU Medical ESP 60 Syringe Pump. Recertified pumps are tested against the OEM functional inspection procedure, including travel-accuracy verification at all three speeds, occlusion-pressure testing, and full alarm validation (end-of-infusion, occlusion, low battery, and attention LED behavior). Field-replaceable subassemblies — including motor and gearhead, lead-screw/guide-rail assemblies, syringe-clamp holders, occlusion slide potentiometers, membrane keypads, and pole-clamp mounts — are stocked or sourced through the OEM service channel. Whether your facility is consolidating to a single legacy ESP 60 fleet, retiring units in favor of newer programmable platforms, or simply needs a replacement battery cap, contact IPR Medical at 855-477-8866 or cs@iprmed.com.

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts for the ICU Medical ESP 60 Syringe Pump. Contact IPR Medical at 855-477-8866 or cs@iprmed.com with service or software questions.

Repair service: IPR Medical also repairs ICU Medical and Hospira pumps in house, with a free shipping label, a free evaluation and a 90-day repair warranty. See ICU Medical and Hospira pump repair.

Trademark Notice: ICU Medical, and all other brand names, model names, and part numbers shown are trademarks of their respective owners and are used on this page only to identify the original manufacturer’s equipment offered here, consistent with nominative fair use. This listing is offered by IPR Medical, an ISO 9001:2015-certified independent service organization, and is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or endorsed by ICU Medical.