Users are hard on their infusion pumps when they suddenly switch them off rather than waiting for the devices to power down. The action produces conditions similar to a faulty power supply which can lead to storing data in wrong locations on the drive. Then on startup, the pumps perform badly.

Solid-state drives, such as those from SiliconSystems Inc, Aliso Viejo, Calif., (siliconsystems.com), eliminates data corruption where there's an ungraceful power down, brownout, power spike, or unstable voltage level. SiliconSystems says its PowerArmor feature eliminates data corruption and loss by combining proprietary voltage detection circuitry and logic into every drive. The company says the feature protects critical data files by latching address lines so the unit writes data to a proper location. This decreases maintenance and unscheduled downtime. The pump manufacturer says it had no failures in the last eight months.