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Johnson Technical Institute
Biomedical Equipment Technology
3427 N. Main Ave.
Scranton, PA. 18508
(570)342-6404
I was recently contacted by Mr. Chris W. Roberto, BET Chairman of
Johnson Technical Institue. They have several students ready to
graduate who are looking to relocate in the Baltimore area.
The Biomedical Equipment Technology program at Johnson prepares
technicians for the operation, inspection, installation,
calibration, repair, maintenance and safety of patient-care
electro-medical equipment. A six week externship is served in a
medical facility during the last semester of the senior year.
Graduates work as technicians, sales representatives, and
researchers in field electronic instrumentation and computer
repair. Typical employers in the biomedical career are hospitals;
medical centers; contract maintenance firms; dental, medical, and
optical facilities; computer, and electronic instrumentation
manufacturers; and companies.
For additional information and copies of resumes for these
prospective employees contact Terry Tracy. |
DEFIB TESTING PLUGGED OR UNPLUGGED?
Does your staff test defibrillators plugged in or unplugged?
Actually there are a variety of reasons that support both ways.
Additionally your defib manufacturer may not explore the reasons
for testing unplugged:
- To ensure sufficient battery condition when a code exists.
- If it cannot charge to 100J or 200J when tested.
Reasons for testing plugged in:
- So the staff will not forget to plug the unit back in after
testing. This might cause the battery to run down and consequently
have insufficient power when really needed.
- The staff only needs to ensure the defibrillator works, testing
battery condition is a BMETs job and should be done on a Preventive
Maintenance schedule.
- Testing plugged in alleviates unnecessary service calls due to
low batteries, again attributing to the staff not remembering to
plug the unit back in.
- Batteries left unplugged for long periods of time may cause
premature failure of the battery due to depletion.
Another issue is at which frequency should your staff test the
defibrillator. Alternatives vary, but the most common seem to be
each shift or once a day. If you test once per shift you run the
risk of overuse, consequently low batteries or premature failure,
other induced problems, and pitting of paddles. However, the
members of each shift become familiar with the operation of the
defibrillator, which can prove life saving during an emergency and
they can correct for an inadvertently unplugged unit from a
previous shift within a minimum of time. Once a day reduces the
load on the battery and stress on other components, but reduces the
advantages of shift testing. Longer testing periods may actually be
recommended by defibrillator or battery manufacturer to ensure
maximum battery life.
Is this an issue with JCAHO? That probably depends on your
inspector and your facilities written policy. Somebody correct me
if I'm wrong but I do not believe JCAHO has a specific written
policy on defib testing.
Another consideration is to implement a battery maintenance program
for all rechargeable batteries. A battery system can
charge/discharge and recondition batteries often being able to
recondition batteries (especially NiCAD) that are below rated
capacity. This could have the potential to save many dollars for
your facility and provide the necessary documentation to
substantiate your program. Battery conditioners are available from
Access, Alexander, Cadex, Christie, etc.
Do you replace batteries at set intervals regardless of battery
condition? If you have a battery analyzer and show significant
battery life at your replacement interval, why not extend your
intervals? Or don't we have faith in our maintenance staff and
scheduling program to replace these batteries on a more conditional
basis. I understand the concern for zero defects but if that
interval can be extended without compromising patient safety you
are unnecessarily costing your employer money. Bottom line is to
test to the replacement interval and not arbitrarily accept someone
else's opinion. Additionally, new low power defibrillator
technology (monophasic vs biphasic), better battery chargers,
improved operator battery condition monitoring built into the
defibs, and an abundance of reserve battery power, may justify an
extension to your battery replacement interval.
The information presented herein are my opinions and should not be
used to establish policy without considerable thought to your
particular circumstances but are presented to stimulate thought and
discussion.
T.P. Tracy
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