Overview

The Smiths Medical CADD-Legacy® PLUS (Model 6500) is a versatile ambulatory infusion pump that combines continuous and intermittent delivery in a single lightweight device. It is the most clinically flexible member of the CADD-Legacy® pump family, designed for therapies requiring a scheduled bolus at regular intervals — such as outpatient antibiotic therapy (OPAT), cyclic parenteral nutrition, and intermittent hydration protocols — as well as steady-state continuous infusions. The 6500 was developed by SIMS Deltec and later manufactured by Smiths Medical as part of the proven CADD® platform. Smiths Medical discontinued sale of the CADD-Legacy® pump line effective December 31, 2022, but these pumps remain in broad clinical use across home infusion, specialty pharmacy, and ambulatory care settings, and IPR Medical fully supports the 6500 through sales, repair, and parts availability.

Delivery Modes and Programming

The CADD-Legacy® PLUS supports two programmable delivery methods. In Continuous Delivery Mode, the pump delivers medication at a steady rate from 0.1 to 125 ml/hr in 0.1 ml/hr increments — providing fine-grained control across a wide clinical range. In Intermittent Delivery Mode, the pump uses an internal clock to deliver a programmed dose volume — up to 1,000 ml — at a set time interval, automatically keeping the dosing schedule without requiring clinician intervention between doses. This makes the 6500 particularly effective for ambulatory antibiotic protocols where patients receive timed infusions at home without clinical supervision for each dose. Three security lock levels (LL0–LL2) protect clinical settings from unauthorized patient access, and the pump stores the last 1,000 events for download via the CADD-DIPLOMAT® PC Communications System. Rates and programming are displayed in ml/hr (unlike the 6400, which uses ml/24 hrs), making programming intuitive for clinicians accustomed to standard hourly rate entry.

Safety and Alarm Features

The 6500 includes the full CADD-Legacy® safety suite. Upstream and downstream occlusion sensors monitor both sides of the fluid path and halt delivery at the first sign of a blockage. An air-in-line detector with adjustable sensitivity (Off, Low, High) stops the pump if air is detected in the tubing. A cassette detection sensor verifies proper reservoir seating before and throughout operation. Battery monitoring provides both low-battery and depleted-battery warnings to give clinicians time to replace batteries before a therapy interruption occurs. The 6500 adds a “Program Incomplete” alarm not present on the 6400, ensuring that the pump will not run if programming screens have not been fully confirmed — an important safeguard for intermittent therapy setups where dosing intervals must be explicitly programmed. The event memory retains all 1,000 recent pump events for clinical audit and compliance review.

Portability and Power

The CADD-Legacy® PLUS weighs 0.86 lbs with batteries and empty reservoir installed and fits into the included single-use 50 ml or 100 ml pump pouch for ambulatory carry. Two AA alkaline batteries power the pump for approximately 15 hours at the maximum rate of 125 ml/hr, or up to approximately 14 days at low-rate protocols of 10 ml/day. An optional AC adapter is available for stationary use, with the AA batteries remaining installed as a backup. A threaded mounting hole on the rear panel allows connection to a pole-mount bracket for IV stand use. The ON/OFF key places the pump in a low-power standby state between doses or during transport, extending battery life significantly for patients on intermittent protocols with long intervals between scheduled infusions.

Compatible Administration Sets and Consumables

The CADD-Legacy® PLUS is compatible with CADD® Medication Cassette Reservoirs in 50 ml, 100 ml, and 250 ml sizes. For high-volume intermittent doses — up to 1,000 ml — a CADD® Administration Set connects to an external fluid container, allowing the IDM to accommodate volumes well beyond what a standard cassette holds. CADD® extension sets with integral anti-siphon valves are recommended to prevent gravity infusion in the event of cassette disconnection. IPR Medical stocks CADD-compatible administration sets and reservoirs, making it easy for facilities to source both the pump platform and its consumables from a single trusted supplier and reducing the operational burden of managing separate vendor relationships.

FDA Device Corrections and Safety Bulletins

In December 2022, Smiths Medical issued an Urgent Medical Device Correction Letter — affecting CADD Administration Sets and CADD Medication Cassette Reservoirs used with all CADD infusion pumps, including the CADD-Legacy® PLUS (Model 6500). Two separate issues were identified with affected consumables. The first involves potential tubing occlusion caused by manufacturing variations in the green CADD Flow Stop arm, which may partially compress and block the fluid path before clinical use. If the occlusion does not resolve when the set is connected to the pump, the pump may not detect the blockage and will display a normal running status even though medication is not being delivered or is being under-delivered. The second issue involves false “No Disposable Attached” (NDA) alarms specific to CADD-Legacy® pumps: manufacturing variations in certain 50 ml and 700 ml CADD Medication Cassette Reservoirs with Flow Stop may prevent the pump from detecting a properly attached cassette, triggering an NDA alarm that interrupts therapy until the alarm is cleared. The 250 ml Flow Stop and all non-Flow Stop reservoirs are not affected by the NDA alarm issue.

Recommended actions for CADD-Legacy® PLUS users: Always prime the set using the pump and closely observe fluid flow — if fluid does not flow, takes abnormally long to prime, or the pump shows a higher-than-expected priming volume, replace the reservoir or administration set immediately. If medication remains in the reservoir at the end of an infusion, report the event to Smiths Medical (now ICU Medical). For NDA alarms with 50 ml or 700 ml Flow Stop reservoirs, attempt to reposition or reattach the cassette, or replace it. Pumps and sets do not need to be returned.

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 Medical Device Recalls Database
  • FDA Medical Device Safety

IPR Medical — Sales, Repair, and Parts

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts and administration sets for the Smiths Medical CADD-Legacy® PLUS (Model 6500). Although Smiths Medical discontinued new pump sales in December 2022, the 6500 remains in active clinical use and IPR Medical is fully equipped to support facilities running this platform. Our biomedical technicians service the complete CADD-Legacy® family and can restore units to clinical readiness. We also stock CADD-compatible administration sets and reservoirs, providing a single-source resource for both pump and consumables. Contact us to discuss availability, fleet repair programs, or trade-in options.

IPR Medical buys, sells, repairs, and stocks parts and administration sets for the Smiths Medical CADD-Legacy® PLUS (Model 6500). Contact us at 855-477-8866 or cs@iprmed.com.

Trademark Notice: Smiths 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 Smiths Medical.