For each action involving an infusion pump alarm or malfunction, identify whether it supports safe equipment use or is unsafe.
Matrix
Choose your responses, then check the answer.
Explanation
An infusion-pump alarm is a safety signal, not an inconvenience to silence. The nurse should assess the client and infusion immediately, trace the tubing from container to client, correct a clearly identified cause, and verify the medication, concentration, rate, and channel before restarting. If the alarm is unexplained or the pump does not function as expected, the nurse should maintain the critical therapy safely with approved backup equipment, remove and tag the suspect pump, and follow reporting procedures. Bypassing limits, repeatedly restarting without resolving the cause, or leaving the client during interrupted vasoactive therapy can produce serious under-infusion or bolus harm.
Correct Answer Respond to the client first, fully resolve the alarm cause, verify settings, and remove malfunctioning equipment from service.
Why It Fits A recurrent occlusion alarm during vasoactive therapy coincides with falling blood pressure and may represent interrupted delivery or equipment failure.
Clinical Picture Infusion-pump failures and programming errors can cause over-infusion, under-infusion, missed treatment, or delayed therapy, especially with high-alert medications.
Memory Link Alarm means assess, trace, resolve, verify, and replace if unexplained.
NCLEX Rule Never bypass an alarm or safety limit; protect the client and therapy, follow the device guidance, and sequester equipment that does not perform as expected.
Why the Alternatives Fail Muting the alarm, forcing flow, or resuming without checking the full system treats the warning rather than the hazard.
Sources
1FDA Infusion Pump Risk Reduction Strategies for Clinicians
2FDA Examples of Reported Infusion Pump Problems
3NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan
Step-down unitA client receives a high-alert vasoactive medication through a smart infusion pump. During transport, the pump displays a recurrent downstream occlusion alarm, the blood pressure begins to fall, and the tubing appears compressed beneath a side rail. After the tubing is released, the alarm recurs without an obvious cause.
Occlusion alarm — A pump alert indicating resistance or blockage upstream or downstream that may interrupt fluid delivery.
Smart pump — An infusion device with programmable safety features such as a drug library and dose-limit alerts.
Sequester — Remove suspect equipment from clinical use, label the problem, and hold it for inspection or repair.