Suction Units

Suction Units

This blog will outline the fundamentals and the importance of maintenance on suction units used in a clinic setting.  TRH services ensures that all aspects of operation and safety are upheld by manufacturing standards as well Health Canada standards.  These aspects are split into three major categories being; Electrical Safety, Operational Importance and Biohazard Prevention.  Before we get into those aspects we should break down what a suction unit is and what it does.

Suction Unit Description:

A suction unit can be used to clean out debris or liquids from inside a patient’s body or on a patient’s body depending on the practice in which the unit is being used.  For example, during a surgery, such a liposuction, the doctor/clinical staff would use this unit to rid the patient’s body of excess lipids (fats) at a set pressure (usually measured in mmHg) that won’t harm the patients or cause too much damage to surrounding areas.  Most common suction units vary in pressures from 0 to 500-600mmHg

Electrical Safety:

During preventative maintenance testing TRH services ensures that the suction unit has no damage to the power cord or motor.  We will check to make sure the unit is using a medical grade power cord.  As a company, we use verified equipment to ensure that the suction unit is under the maximum leakage currents allowed, for patient safety purposes.  We test to ensure the ground resistance to earth is below CSA and Health Canada’s recommended standards and the motor is not drawing or exceeding the current limits during operation.

Operation Importance:

It is important to the client as well as the clinical engineer that a suction unit can provide maximum safety and operation to ensure best possible outcome to a patient.  This can range from battery life to pressure strength on a unit.  We first check to ensure the unit turns on without a power cord and test battery life.  Ensuring the battery is always at full capacity is key and we encourage all clients to keep the unit plugged in at all times even when not in use.  We check for battery expiration dates as well to ensure the battery does not break down after a period of time and leak acid into the unit causing damage to the unit or patient.  We check for physical and environmental hazards with the unit.  We check the accuracy of the unit’s pressure gauge as well as the maximum suction the unit produces.  As well as the electrical safety and biohazard prevention.

Biohazard Prevention:

This is a very important aspect that we ensure every unit does not build up bacteria that could clog filters preventing a unit from working when needed or causing infections towards patients.  We check inside the unit as well as the tubing and canister.  Using a bacteria filter along the tubing line is highly recommended and TRH is always keen to help our clients build a better environment for their patients and clinical staff.  We help with any questions they may have towards biohazards and how we can prevent them.

The TRH Value:

TRH services works on a large range of suction units in various clinical environments such as hospitals, dental clinics, veterinary hospitals, research facilities and more.
Choosing TRH services will allow your establishment to provide safe and proper operational equipment.
We also provide onsite and offsite maintenance/repair across Ontario.

Common Suction Units:

Listed below is a short list of some common suction units that we work on, a regular basses:

Written By: Sheldon Armstrong

Edited By: Tyler Hasenpflug CET