Overview

The Plum XL Micro/Macro is a dual-line volumetric infusion system originally cleared by Abbott Laboratories under 510(k) K931375 in September 1993, with subsequent modification clearances issued in 1995 and 2001. Following Hospira’s 2004 spin-off from Abbott, the Plum XL was marketed under the Hospira label; ICU Medical acquired Hospira’s infusion business in 2017 and inherited installed-base responsibility for the platform. The Plum XL Micro/Macro was designed for hospital-wide standardization across med/surg, critical care, alternate-site, and home-care environments, with full compatibility with LifeCare PlumSet administration sets and LifeShield needleless protection systems. Although the platform was formally retired by the OEM on June 30, 2015, a substantial installed base continues in service through aftermarket support, refurbishment, and parts replenishment. IPR Medical maintains capability around this device for facilities that operate it as primary infusion equipment, as backup, or as part of a managed transition to current-generation Plum systems.

Display and User Interface

The Plum XL is operated through a rotary control dial paired with dedicated keys, a design that predates the touchscreen and soft-key interfaces of modern infusion pumps but remains familiar to many biomed and clinical staff. The control dial selects between OFF CHARGE, SET RATE, SET VTBI, RUN, HOLD/RESET, and CLEAR VOL positions. A PRI-SEC key toggles programming between the primary and secondary lines while in SET RATE or SET VTBI. The TITRATE key allows incremental rate adjustment during active delivery. The QUICKSET key advances rate or VTBI through preprogrammed values, allowing clinicians to dial rapidly to common clinical settings (for example, 5.0, 25.0, 50.0, 75.0, 100, 125, 150, 200, 500, and 999 mL/hr). A BACKPRIME key clears air from the cassette without disconnecting the patient line, and a SILENCE key mutes audible alarms for two minutes while visual indication continues. A large backlit LCD displays rate, VTBI, total volume delivered, line selection, and alarm messages. A rear-panel LOCKOUT switch disables key and dial input to prevent unauthorized changes, and a separate rear-panel audio switch sets alarm volume to HIGH or LOW.

Delivery Architecture and Cassette Design

The Plum XL is built around a single cassette-based pumping mechanism that supports three delivery modes from one device: primary only, secondary only, and piggyback. Unlike multi-channel pumps that use separate mechanisms for each line, the Plum XL integrates a primary inlet and a secondary inlet port into one cassette, with a flow regulator, pumping chamber, and air trap arranged to manage both fluid pathways. In primary-only mode, fluid is drawn from the primary container and delivered at the programmed rate and VTBI. In secondary-only mode, the primary rate and VTBI are set to zero and the secondary line carries the infusion. In piggyback mode, both rates and volumes are programmed and the pump completes the secondary infusion before automatically beginning the primary delivery, with five audible beeps marking the transition on software revisions 1.02 and earlier. The flow rate range covers 0.1 to 999 mL/hr (0.1 mL/hr resolution below 100 mL/hr, 1 mL/hr resolution at and above 100 mL/hr), and VTBI extends to 9999 mL. KVO at dose end is the lower of 1.0 mL/hr or the primary delivery rate. The cassette includes a precision flow regulator that, in conjunction with the upper slide clamp, provides anti-free-flow protection when the cassette is removed from the pump.

Backpriming, Air Management, and Secondary Containers

Air management is one of the Plum XL’s distinguishing features. When air is detected proximal to the cassette, the pump displays AIR IN LINE and BACKPRIMING and pauses delivery; the operator can then use the BACKPRIME function to pump fluid from the primary line up through the secondary inlet port to clear the trapped air, eliminating the need to disconnect the administration set from the patient. Backpriming is also used to reprime empty secondary tubing and to clear air from a syringe or vial mounted at the secondary port. The secondary inlet accepts standard secondary containers, syringes (larger than 3 cc, using the syringe adapter for 10 cc or smaller), and vials with a vial adapter. The cassette air trap is designed to be cleared via backpriming rather than by repriming the entire set, which preserves drug volume and reduces patient disconnection. Backpriming is not recommended for reconstituting dry-powder secondary containers, and the operator must ensure sufficient empty volume in syringes and vials before backpriming to prevent overpressurization.

Configurations and List Numbers

Several configurations of the Plum XL were marketed during the device’s commercial life, identifiable by Hospira list number on the rear-panel label. List 11555 is the original Plum XL single-channel configuration. List 11846 is the Plum XL Micro/Macro, which extends flow precision to 0.1 mL/hr increments below 100 mL/hr while preserving the same dual-line cassette architecture. List 11855 is a regional or feature variant within the same family. List 11859-04 is the Plum XL Micro/Macro with DataPort, which adds an optional read-only serial communication port for status monitoring by a host PC through Junction Box accessories; the DataPort link is monitor-only and cannot control the infuser remotely. A separate Plum XL3 family (list 11781 and related) provides three-channel operation in a tandem carrier and is treated as a distinct device for service and parts purposes. When ordering parts or service, the list number printed on the device is the authoritative identifier for the configuration; software revision (printed during self-test) further qualifies which behaviors are present, such as the five-beep transition tone on revisions 1.02 and earlier.

Battery, Portability, and Power

The Plum XL is powered by a sealed lead-acid 8 V internal battery, accessible through a rear battery door for field replacement with a polarized connector. A fully charged new battery provides approximately eight hours of operation at 125 mL/hr (or 1000 mL delivered, whichever occurs first) when DataPort circuitry is disabled, and approximately five hours (or 625 mL delivered) when DataPort is enabled. Recharge takes approximately eight hours in the OFF CHARGE setting and longer when the device is in use. Hospira recommended operating the pump on battery power for six continuous hours at least once every six months to maintain battery capacity. Mains power requirements are 100 to 130 VAC, 47/63 Hz, less than 35 W, with a 10-foot hospital-grade AC cord and 0.5 A, 250 V slow-blow fuses. The pump is mounted on an IV stand using the integrated pole clamp; an optional minipole attachment post supports accessory mounting on the device itself. Because batteries in legacy fleets age unevenly, IPR Medical recommends a battery audit and replacement plan for any Plum XL fleet that has not been refreshed within the last several years.

Alarms and Safety Behavior

The Plum XL provides audible and visual alarms for AIR IN LINE (distal and proximal, the latter triggering BACKPRIMING), CASSETTE (improper loading, improper priming, or valve leak), CHECK SETTINGS (rate or VTBI not set), DOOR (cassette door open), LOCKED (dial moved while lockout switch is on), LOW BATTERY (approximately 30 minutes of battery remaining), OCCLUSION (closed clamp, kinked tubing, or possible clotted catheter), TURN TO RUN (control dial idle for five minutes outside OFF CHARGE or RUN), and VTBI COMPLETE (with automatic KVO behavior). During an alarm condition, the screen backlight and the alarm message flash while the audible alarm sounds; pressing SILENCE mutes audio for two minutes (15 minutes for LOW BATTERY). A separate class of conditions, marked “Er” with an error number, indicates a malfunction requiring service. The audio switch sets alarm volume to either HIGH or LOW; the LOW setting was the subject of a 2011 FDA recall described below and warrants particular attention during routine biomed inspection.

Service and Maintenance Considerations

Because Hospira and ICU Medical formally retired Plum XL family support as of June 30, 2015, all service, parts, and battery replenishment for the platform now flow through the aftermarket. Routine cleaning is performed with a lint-free cloth dampened with mild nonabrasive soapy water or specific cleaning solutions identified in the operator manual (including Super Edisonite, Vesphene II se, Manu-Klenz, Formula C, or household bleach diluted no stronger than 1:10 with water); cleaning solutions containing combinations of isopropyl alcohol and dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride are explicitly disallowed by the OEM. The pump must not be immersed, heat-sterilized, steam-sterilized, ETO-sterilized, or irradiated. Behind the cassette door, the door release tab allows the door to be unlatched from its handle for cleaning of internal elements with cotton-tipped swabs. IPR Medical performs flat-rate repair, mechanism rebuilds, battery replacement, calibration verification, and incoming/outgoing biomed inspection on Plum XL family pumps. The Hospira Technical Service Manual (referenced in the operator manual as orderable through Technical Support Operations) remains the authoritative service document for the platform; IPR Medical references this manual for all service work.

FDA Device Corrections and Safety Bulletins

Three FDA-listed device corrections are on record for the Plum XL family, all now terminated. In August 2009, Hospira initiated a correction (cfres_id 84818) covering AC power cords manufactured by Electri-Cord and shipped with Plum XL list numbers 11555-04-01, 11555-04-03, and 11555-04-05 between June 2005 and May 2009; the affected cords presented a fire and shock hazard due to a component that could spark or flash. In February 2011, Hospira issued Urgent Device Recall letters (cfres_id 97051 and related records covering lists 11555, 11846, and 11859) reporting complaints of audible-alarm failure at the LOW audio setting on Plum XL, XLM, and XLD infusion pumps; if the audible alarm failed and a clinician did not notice the visual alert, awareness of conditions such as air-in-line or occlusion could be delayed, with potential for serious patient harm. Hospira instructed clinicians to perform an alarm test prior to each clinical use during cleaning and to discontinue use if the alarm was not audible. In January 2014, Hospira issued an Urgent Medical Device Recall (cfres_id 125502) describing the potential for door roller assembly pins on Plum LifeCare 5000 Series and Plum XL family infusers to break; a broken pin could prevent the door from properly locking the cassette, producing door or cassette alarms or false occlusions. Hospira designed a replacement metal door roller pin to supersede the plastic component, and the same January 2014 communication referenced the discontinuation notice already issued on May 1, 2013, confirming full retirement of the Plum LifeCare 5000 and Plum XL families as of June 30, 2015.

Because FDA device corrections and safety communications may be updated or expanded after the date of this listing, IPR Medical recommends that facilities also check the FDA’s official resources directly to ensure they have the most current information.

FDA resources for further review:
FDA Medical Device Recalls Database  | 
FDA Medical Device Safety

IPR Medical — Buy, Sell, Repair, and Parts

IPR Medical supports the installed base of Hospira Plum XL infusion pumps with refurbished and tested pumps, flat-rate repair, mechanism rebuilds, battery replacement, AC cord replacement (post-recall stock), door assembly replacement with the corrected metal pin design where applicable, and incoming/outgoing biomed inspection against the Hospira Technical Service Manual. Facilities operating Plum XL fleets as primary infusion equipment, as backup capacity, or as part of a managed transition to Plum A+ or Plum 360 can purchase recertified units, send pumps in for repair, or sell surplus inventory to IPR. Because this is a fully retired OEM platform, sourcing through a specialist secondary-market partner is the practical path for continuing operation. Contact IPR Medical for fleet assessment, repair quoting, or buy-back valuation.

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts for the Hospira Plum XL Infusion Pump. Contact IPR Medical at 855-477-8866 or cs@iprmed.com with service or software questions.

Trademark Notice: ICU Medical, Hospira, 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 or Hospira.