A medical pump, for use with a cassette having a pumping chamber, includes
a pumping element with a piston slider assembly which intermittently
pressurizes the pumping chamber during a pumping cycle and has a piston
head connected to a main body with a single pressure sensor positioned
therebetween. A camshaft is associated with the pumping element, an inlet
control element, and an outlet control element for closing the pumping
chamber to flow when the pumping chamber is pressurized. A processing
unit receives pressure and position data from the pressure sensor and a
position sensor associated with the pumping element, and processes this
data to determine the operating condition of the pump. The operating
conditions determined include: blocked fluid flow, no fluid in the line,
no cassette associated with the pump, proper pump priming, or proper
valve sealing.