Patient Monitor Maintenance

Patient Monitor Maintenance

Patient monitoring systems are widely used throughout all types of clinics.  Patient monitors typically have non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP), pulse oximeter (SPO2), and a printer as accessories. Other common accessories include a temperature probe, electrocardiograph (ECG) module for monitoring the heart, and an air ways gasses (CO2, O2, N2O) to monitor a patient’s excess carbon dioxide. Patient monitoring is used to visually represent a patient’s vitals and to alert the user of any issues.

Pulse Oximeter (SPO2)
Most issues arise due to the pulse oximeter probe (SPO2) having line noise or signal loss.  This is commonly caused by the pulse oximeter cable showing wear and causing the small wires inside to breakdown. When broken, they make or lose contact at certain positions when the pulse oximeter probe is attached, causing a loss of signal or false readings. Pulse oximetry is important because it displays whether the patient is getting oxygen in their blood, and the patient’s heart rate.  During our preventative maintenance procedure we test the pulse oximeter probe for signal loss and false readings and help you find a replacement pulse oximeter probe, if necessary. Although every patient has different values when being monitored, our equipment will test the baseline measurements so that a patient’s measurements are true results.

Blood Pressure (NIBP)
Blood pressure is measured using a non-invasive technique by inflating a blood pressure cuff typically located on the patients arm.  As the unit deflates the cuff it measure the systolic and diastolic pressures of the patient.  Blood pressure is expressed in two values: Systolic pressure on the top and diastolic pressure at the bottom (for example, 120/80).  The systolic pressure is the blood pressure moving out from the heart and diastolic is the blood moving back to the heart. Patient blood pressure is important to know and can be the first sign of a health issue.

During preventative maintenance, we at TRH Services check the accuracy of the blood pressure to prevent false readings when in use on a patient.  Some common issues that cause false readings are leaking blood pressure cuffs, worn Velcro on the blood pressure cuffs, and inaccurate calibration.  When performing preventative maintenance all blood pressure cuffs and tubing are tested for leaks and we ensure all measurements are accurate.

The majority of blood pressure issues are caused by a poor quality blood pressure cuffs. Although some blood pressure cuffs do not have any leaks, the Velcro on the cuffs can be worn causing issues. When the Velcro is worn out it allows the blood pressure cuff to slowly open up when inflating which prevents a proper blood pressure reading.

Electrocardiograph (ECG)
Other common accessories are the ECG lead wires which measure a patient’s heart rate and will display a visual representation of the heart as it beats. The visual ECG waveform is very sensitive and can determine if the patient has any heart health issues.  Preventative maintenance on ECG lead wires is important because of the signal’s sensitivity.  If there is any noise or issues with the lead wires it could cause false readings which may show that the patient has some arrhythmias.  It is important to have the ECG tested because if the user assumes that the waveform is to have certain spikes or noise they may ignore certain issues and not notify the patient of any health concerns. During the preventative maintenance we verify that the unit is able to detect any abnormal signals and verify the reading is calibrated. The most common ECG issues are with the lead wires, because the lead wires are very thin they can damage easily which can cause false readings.  It is important to verify that the electrodes and clips that attach to the ECG lead wires are clean and not expired.

Battery and Electrical Safety
The last aspect of the unit that we test is the battery and the electrical safety of your unit.  Starting with the battery, we typically recommend that the battery be replaced every two years when you unit is using a Sealed Lead Acid Battery or Nickle Metal Hydroxide (NiMh) batteries.  By replacing these types of batteries every two year it will ensure that during a power outage you will still be able to monitor your patient’s vitals without having to worry about the monitor.  When it comes to newer units that are using Lithium Ion batteries (Li-Ion) we recommend replacing these batteries based on the expiry date on the battery which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Moving onto electrical safety on the unit, here we are testing the unit to make sure that it complies with the manufacturers and Health Canada’s recommend amount of leakage current for its class type.  This will ensure that when using the unit you do not need to worry about the patient accidently getting shocked while hooked up.  The last aspect of electrical safety that we look at is the power cord; here we are looking at the power cord to make sure that is hospital grade and not damaged.

The TRH Value

The added value of choosing TRH Services to complete maintenance on your patient monitor is that we ensure that all of the values that the unit is registering are correct, and test each individual accessory to ensure that they are in proper working order.   When we are onsite we test the battery on the unit to make sure that it will last for the rest of the year just like we test the accessories.  As noted above by identifying key issues with your system we can prevent false reading in the system which will ensure that you get the most out of your patient monitor.  We complete our onsite service of these devices across South-Western Ontario (London, Toronto, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Hamilton, etc.).

Common Patient Monitor Systems

Listed below is a short list of some common patient monitor systems that we work on a regular basses:

Written By: Matthew Chominiec
Edited By: Tyler Hasenpflug CET