A CADD pump is a small, portable, battery-operated device that delivers medication into your body at a steady, controlled rate. CADD stands for Continuous Ambulatory Delivery Device. Unlike a standard IV drip that keeps you tethered to a pole, a CADD pump is designed to be carried with you, whether you’re moving around a hospital room, sitting at home, or going about your day. It’s commonly used for pain management in cancer care, chemotherapy delivery, and other situations where medication needs to flow continuously over hours or days.
How a CADD Pump Works
The pump pushes medication through thin tubing and into your body at a programmed rate, measured in milliliters per hour. A healthcare provider programs the exact dose and speed before you start using it. The medication is stored in a cassette or bag that attaches to the pump, and the device runs on batteries, typically delivering a full infusion over a 24-hour period. This keeps a steady level of medication in your bloodstream rather than delivering it all at once.
Some CADD pumps also have a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) feature. This means the pump delivers a constant background dose of pain medication, but you can press a button to give yourself an extra small dose when pain spikes. The pump has built-in safety limits so you can’t accidentally give yourself too much. If you don’t press the button within a set window, the keypad locks automatically (after about 30 seconds of inactivity) to prevent unintended doses.
Why Doctors Prescribe CADD Pumps
The two most common reasons are pain that oral medications can’t adequately control and the need for patients to manage their own symptoms more independently. For people with cancer, swallowing pills may become difficult or the pain may be too severe for oral painkillers to keep up. A CADD pump bypasses the digestive system entirely, sending medication directly into the bloodstream or under the skin.
Beyond pain management, CADD pumps are also used to deliver chemotherapy and other IV medications at home. This can shorten hospital stays significantly. Patients who would otherwise need to stay connected to a hospital IV for days can instead carry a small pump and return to their own environment, coming back for check-ins or cassette changes as needed.
Current Models
CADD pumps are manufactured by ICU Medical. The two main models you’re likely to encounter are the CADD-Solis and the CADD-Solis VIP. The CADD-Solis is primarily used in hospitals for pain management, combining multiple delivery methods (continuous flow, patient-controlled boluses, or both) in one device. The CADD-Solis VIP is the home infusion version, designed with five distinct delivery modes to handle a wider range of therapies outside the hospital. Both models share the same user interface and use the same disposable cassettes, so if you start on one in the hospital, the transition to the home version feels familiar.
Using a CADD Pump at Home
If you’re sent home with a CADD pump, your care team will walk you through the basics before discharge: how to check the screen, what the buttons do, and how to care for the site where the tubing enters your body. The pump itself is small enough to clip to a belt or carry in a pouch. You’ll typically need to keep the insertion site clean and dry, watch for redness or swelling, and know when your medication cassette needs to be replaced (your home infusion team usually handles refills on a set schedule).
Day-to-day life with a CADD pump is more manageable than most people expect. You can sleep, shower (with proper site protection), and move around your home. The pump does the work of delivering your medication quietly in the background.
Common Alarms and What They Mean
CADD pumps have built-in safety systems that trigger alarms when something needs attention. The two you’re most likely to hear are:
- High Pressure: A continuous high-pitched alarm with a warning on the screen. This usually means the tubing is bent or kinked somewhere, blocking the flow of medication. Check the full length of tubing, straighten any bends, and the alarm should resolve.
- Air in Line: The pump detected air in the tubing, or the tubing isn’t threaded correctly through the air detector. Press the stop button to silence the alarm and contact your infusion company for guidance before restarting.
Other alarms may signal a low battery or an empty cassette. None of these alarms mean the pump has malfunctioned in a dangerous way. They’re designed to pause the infusion and alert you before a problem escalates. Your care team will give you a phone number to call if an alarm comes up that you can’t resolve on your own, and most home infusion companies offer 24-hour support lines for exactly these situations.
CADD Pumps vs. Standard IV Infusions
The biggest practical difference is mobility. A traditional IV setup requires a pole, an electrical outlet (or a very heavy battery), and generally keeps you in one spot. A CADD pump weighs a fraction of that and runs on small batteries for a full day. For patients who need medication over days or weeks, this difference in freedom is substantial.
The other key advantage is precision. Because the pump is programmable, it delivers medication at an exact, consistent rate rather than relying on gravity drip, which can fluctuate with movement or position changes. For pain management especially, this steady delivery helps avoid the peaks and valleys that come with taking pills every few hours, where pain breaks through before the next dose kicks in.