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PCA tubing is the administration set that carries medication from a syringe or container to a patient’s vascular system in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), where a pump lets the patient trigger limited doses within limits set by a clinician. This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
Who uses it: clinic and hospital supply staff, biomedical and infusion teams, and students learning what a PCA set is. After reading, you should be able to say what the set consists of, how three real BD Alaris PCA sets differ, and how the FDA classifies the device. In other fields “PCA” also means a process analyzer; this page covers only the medical meaning.
What PCA tubing is
PCA tubing is a PCA administration set: single-use, sterile tubing sold for use with a PCA infusion pump. It is not one product. It is a family of sets from different manufacturers, and each catalogue number has its own length, bore, priming volume and valve arrangement. The FDA files these sets under product code FPA, device name “Set, Administration, Intravascular”, device class 2, regulation 21 CFR 880.5440.
How the set is built
The BD Alaris product pages for the sets compared below list the same building blocks, in different combinations:
- Tubing in standardbore or microbore, at a stated length.
- Valves: a backcheck valve (one on each set compared here) and, on some sets, an anti-siphon valve.
- A Y-site with a needle-free connector (SmartSite on the 30843E).
- Connectors and closures: a fixed male luer lock and a pinch clamp on the 30843E.
Types and specifications
The three BD Alaris sets below show why specifications cannot be assumed to carry from one PCA set to another. Values are those on the manufacturer’s product pages and the AccessGUDID record; “Not stated” means the source gives no value.
| Set | Tubing | Length | Priming volume | Anti-siphon valve | Backcheck valves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BD Alaris PCA SS CV (30843E) | Standardbore | approx. 12 in (30 cm) | approx. 1 mL | None | 1 |
| BD Alaris PCA ASV Microbore CV (30873) | Microbore | approx. 229 cm | approx. 3 mL | Yes | 1 |
| Alaris PCA Administration Set, cat. 30863 | Microbore | 160 cm (63 in) | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
Sources for the rows: BD product pages for 30843E and 30873, and the AccessGUDID record for 30863 (device identifier 10885403274008), checked 30 October 2026. Neither BD page lists a filter on these two sets.
Latex labeling differs by set
The AccessGUDID record for the 30863 set states that it is labeled “not made with natural rubber latex”, while BD’s spec tables for the 30843E and 30873 list natural latex as “Yes”. Read the labeling of the exact set in your hands.
Regulatory class
Under 21 CFR 880.5440, “an intravascular administration set is a device used to administer fluids from a container to a patient’s vascular system” and is classified Class II (special controls). The openFDA classification record for product code FPA lists the review panel as General Hospital. The AccessGUDID record for 30863 lists the set as single-use and packaged sterile.
Safe handling basics
- Sets are labeled single-use and supplied sterile (AccessGUDID record for 30863); do not reuse them.
- Check the latex labeling on the package before use, as it varies by set.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use for the exact set and pump; BD publishes them at eifu.bd.com.
Pump programming, priming and drug choices are clinical matters for trained staff following facility protocols and the IFU; they are not covered here. For the pump side, see what an IV infusion pump is and the ambulatory infusion pump guide.
Common mistakes
- Treating “PCA tubing” as one product. The table above shows a 30 cm set and a roughly 229 cm set with different priming volumes.
- Assuming a feature carries across sets. Anti-siphon valves and latex labeling differ by catalogue number.
- Confusing it with other meanings of PCA. Process analyzers use unrelated tubing kits.
FAQ
What is a PCA syringe?
A PCA syringe is the syringe that holds the medication in a syringe-based PCA pump; the administration set (the tubing described above) carries it onward from the syringe. Which syringe and set go with which pump is stated in the manufacturer instructions for use.
Is PCA tubing the same as ordinary IV tubing?
Both are intravascular administration sets under the same FDA product code, FPA. PCA sets are the administration sets used with PCA pumps, and their specifications vary by catalogue number.
Where can I read more about the pump side?
Pump and set compatibility is stated in the manufacturer instructions for use. For the equipment category, and for the general infusion set family (infusion set guide), see infusion pumps; the related infusion supplies and pump selection guide covers the wider category.
Sources
- openFDA device classification, product code FPA: https://api.fda.gov/device/classification.json?search=product_code:FPA (checked 30 October 2026)
- 21 CFR 880.5440, Intravascular administration set: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/880.5440 (checked 30 October 2026)
- NLM AccessGUDID, DI 10885403274008: https://accessgudid.nlm.nih.gov/devices/10885403274008 (checked 30 October 2026)
- BD Alaris PCA SS CV 30843E: https://www.bd.com/en-us/products-and-solutions/products/product-page.30843e (checked 30 October 2026)
- BD Alaris PCA ASV Microbore CV 30873: https://www.bd.com/en-us/products-and-solutions/products/product-print-page.30873 (checked 30 October 2026)
