Hospital or clinic areas consist of operating rooms and intensive care units, where a wide range of devices is required to provide life support to patients: from electric scalpels to vital signs monitors, to anesthesia stations controlling leakage currents that may reach the patient.

For this reason, they must be treated in a special way from the moment they are planned, since these are considered places with a high risk of electrocution. The risk goes to patients, physicians and staff who are interacting with all medical technology that requires energy. 

Electrical safety of patients and medical personnel

Ensuring electrical safety in the various areas of medical use is of utmost importance for the well-being of the patient, medical personnel and the healthcare environment in which they are located. The purpose of this is to:

  • Minimizing leakage currents in the connectivity between the patient and the instrument to ensure safety.
  • Avoid unnecessary supply interruptions, ensuring the continuity of electrical supply from the perspective of the patient’s dependence on the instrument and their state of consciousness.

A guaranteed power supply that follows the standards must be available, to avoid these inconveniences.

Factors to consider when selecting an isolated power system

When choosing an isolated power system, some of the following considerations should be taken into account:

  • Full compliance with existing regulations. Verifying product certificates that are not valid as Certificate with referent, Equivalent, similar satisfies the requirements of the recognized product certification is one and puts all manufacturers to the same minimum level of requirement.
  • The equipment must be authorized for use by the relevant authority, and the supplier must be verified.
  • Establish a control and monitoring system for electrical inspection of medical equipment, which verifies the absence of mixing of standards in the same isolation board, ensuring that elements comply with NEC standards with protections and/or IEC certified elements.
  • The transformers must be at least type H and withstand up to 180C.
  • The hospital isolation panel must undergo a certification process that evaluates it as a complete unit based on international criteria, rather than evaluating its individual parts or elements.
  • Verify that the line isolation monitor is not a ceiling-mounted or dedicated monitor; it should be a complete system isolation monitor, which can be easily identified by its size

 It is essential to meet regulatory standards

Hospitals carry out daily activities that rely on electrical medical equipment, which pose risks to both individuals and the infrastructure of the buildings. Therefore, complying with the regulations prevents exposing patients to potential electrical risks and events that can range from burns to worsening their medical condition or even causing death in the most severe scenarios.

In addition, the patient’s treatment, effectiveness and recovery, and even his or her life may be put at risk if the energy supply fails.

It is important to mention that if the isolation board has an international certification such as the aforementioned IEC or UL, as demonstrated on the websites of each of these entities, there is certainty that they are constructed with the required rigor and vigilance to power equipment that serves all patients and users of an institution, including ourselves and our family members.

At IASS, we fully understand the risks and the necessity of an isolated power system. That is why we have the necessary certifications and comply with the required standards. Contact us!