Biomedical Devices That Most Frequenelty Need Repair
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Vital Signs Monitors
(VSM)/Multi-parameter patient monitors – high use/high user – high patient interface devices, leading to:
- Physical wear and tear: things (keypad/buttons, power cord, printer, etc.) break over time even during optimal usage
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately; battery not allowed to fully charge; not unplugging from the wall prior to being moved away
- Accessories: not being cleaned and maintained appropriately by the user; damaged clips/snaps, leads, cuff, etc. missing items
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Stretchers
– high use/high user – high patient interface devices, leading to:
- Physical wear and tear: things break over time even during optimal usage (wheels, hydraulic pistons, break/steering, and rail mechanisms, etc.
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately – playing bumper cars or storing them like sardines; not notifying CE at the first sight of an issue
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EKG Machine
- Physical wear and tear: major stress points such as the printer, paper feed mechanism, keypad/keyboard, and power cord, etc. break over time even with optimal usage
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately; battery not allowed to fully charge; not unplugging from the wall prior to being moved away, cleaning with the appropriate agent while limiting the moisture intrusion.
- Accessories: not being cleaned and maintained appropriately by the user; damaged and/or missing clips/snaps, leads, electrodes, etc.
- Operator related: not utilizing proper patient skin preparation techniques may lead to “noisy” erratic tracings, poor ECG interpretation, and worse; improper electrode placement.
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Pumps (Infusion and Syringe)
- Physical wear and tear: major stress points such as syringe clamps, locking mechanisms, keypads, the power cord will fail over time even during optimal usage
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately; battery not allowed to fully charge; not unplugging from the wall prior to being moved away (damaging the plug/cord), not cleaning with the appropriate agent; excessive moisture intrusion; being dropped.
- Operator related: not being aware of the condition (low/dead battery, physical damage, display inoperative, etc.) of the device prior to use
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Electrosurgical Unit (ESU)
- Physical wear and tear: major stress points such as the footswitches/ pedals, keypad, and power cord/plug will fail over time even during optimal usage.
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately; not unplugging from the wall prior to being moved away (damaging the plug/cord), not cleaning with the appropriate agent; excessive moisture intrusion; being dropped.
- Operator related: not using the appropriate accessories; not using the corresponding footswitch and port
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O2 Concentrator:
- Physical wear and tear: major components such as the sieve beads, pump and pneumatic valves, and power cord/plug will fail over time even during optimal usage.
- Physical abuse/ neglect: not being used and/stored appropriately; not unplugging from the wall prior to being moved away (damaging the plug/cord), not cleaning the air intake filter; being knocked over; not used in a space that provides adequate airflow/ventilation
NOTE: These are all high use, high user, and/or high patient interface devices. In my opinion, besides the care and maintenance, device age is a major contributing factor for device failure.
Most Repaired Biomed Devices
Written By: Garth Meikle, Feild Supervisors