The invention relates to a drive head for a syringe pump, comprising:- a contact portion (3) configured to bear against a plunger (501) of a syringe (500) in order to move the plunger (501) relative to a barrel (503) of the syringe, wherein the plunger (501) comprises a main portion (5011) and a flange (502) protruding from the main portion- at least one holding element (41, 42) for holding the flange (502) of the syringe plunger (501) in order to prevent a siphon movement of the plunger (501) away from the contact portion (3)- means (8) for generating a rotational and/or a linear movement of the holding element (41, 42) in order to move the holding element (41, 42) from a first position into a second position and vice versa, wherein in the first position the holding element (41, 42) holds the flange (502) of the syringe plunger (501) while in the second position the holding element (41, 42) is positioned with a distance to the flange (502).According to the invention the means (8) are configured in such a way that after arranging a syringe at the drive head such that the plunger (501) bears against the contact portion (3) the holding element (41, 42) will bear against a peripheral edge (5021) of the plunger flange (502) when being moved into the first position.The invention also relates to a method for operating a drive head of a syringe pump.
