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The Importance of Compressors for Medical Devices

Compressors for medical devices can be easily overlooked in regards to its great value in the medical industry. Read on to learn more about their uses and overall impact.

The Importance of Compressors for Medical Devices - KB Delta

The importance of medical compressors has given these machines wide use cases in medical, veterinary, and dental operations. As a device, they are just as important as the most advanced medical scanners, x-ray machines and sensors. Of course, advanced equipment can be incredibly expensive (which is why some hospitals use C-Arm Rentals to save money), but the humble compressor is an affordable piece of equipment found throughout medical practices across the world.

Hospitals around the world have come to rely on compressors greatly, and it can be said that they have become the heart of these centers. Whereas the specialists working there are the brain who need these compressors to provide the best of their expertise.

For instance, findings by experts estimates that a 150-bed hospital with 5 operating systems requires medical air, pneumatic, and laboratory air systems.

But more importantly, these systems rely on oil-less reciprocating compressors to aid their functionality.

It all boils down to this, medical compressors treat physicians to treat patients to the best of their ability. They may serve in the background, but almost every mechanical process that needs compressed air carried out in hospitals and clinics is aided by these units.

Now let’s show you the benefits of medical compressors, which has made them of the essence in saving human and animal lives.

Application of Medical Compressors

The best way to appreciate the importance of medical compressors is to gain a good understanding of how heavily certain medical processes and devices rely on them.

Accordingly, compressed air is used in intensive care units to provide lung ventilation to patients who have difficulty breathing.

There are a number of reasons why people may have trouble breathing. They may be congested through cold and flu symptoms and their sinuses may be blocked (look into somewhere like https://serp.co/best/nose-strips-for-breathing/ to learn more about certain remedies), or it may be because of serious conditions such as COVID-19 or COPD.

When the breathing difficulties of the individual deteriorate, being taken to intensive care and using lung ventilation is very likely.

In line with that, pneumatic surgical tools rely on compressed air to be powered.

Here’s a more detailed outline on how compressors are used in healthcare facilities:

Medical Compressors For Ventilators

Medical compressors are used in ventilators to supply clean and dried compressed air to patients who rely on ventilators to survive due to their worsened health condition.

Compressors of this nature fall under the Category 1 Care Devices. And the latter is a group of devices whose disruption in operation can lead to grave consequences on the part of the patient. The compressor delivers compressed oil-free air whose capacity has to be maintained. This is to ensure patients under life support are not put in harm’s way.

Consequently, there’s a standby function whose role is to ensure that the compressor starts immediately when there is an interruption in the central gas supply.

Over and above that, there are certain characteristics of medical compressors used for ventilators. Some of these include:

  • These compressors feature low pressure and high temperature audible and visual alarms.
  • They supply oil-free air.
  • They operate quietly and have a high output flow, which is especially beneficial for medical centers with high demand.
  • It is also important for these machines to have a clear user interface. The same applies with feature bright lamps that signify power, alarms, and air source.
  • Compressors designed to be used with ventilators can be maintained conveniently thanks to their modular design.
  • They may also rely on standard consumables and feature a working hours meter.

Medical Compressors For Respiratory

Medical devices tailored to aid individuals with chronic respiratory problems have the aim of providing regular, long term treatment coupled with aerosolized medications.

Accordingly, these medical devices depend on high output air compressors. These compressors, on the other hand, provide the right amount of oxygen to promote a patient’s health.

The compressors must have a pressure that has been strictly regulated to ensure the breathing device sends the right amount of oxygen needed. If the oxygen is less than or more than required, it could pose potential dangers to the patient.

It is also worth noting that the compressor’s warranty may cover up to five years of use.

Laboratory Air Compressors

There’s the hospital on one hand, and there’s its laboratory, on the other hand. Although the hospital has its own medical air system, the laboratory also has its own separate air system. The air quality within laboratories needs to be high to ensure safe testing, that is why the use of products like distilled water 5l can be used within humidifiers and for cleaning purposes so that this is kept continuous. A sterile and secure hospital area is essential in all aspects, that is why air compressors, as well as other equipment, must be fully and thoroughly cleaned so that Preventing Hospital Acquired Infection is high on their list. Maintaining equipment is a sure way to make a hospital safe and functioning.

The laboratory’s air system relies on a compressor to send air to the research and development areas of the facility. The choice of compressors, in this case, are oil-free and oil-lubricated compressors that have the right filtration.

The Importance of Compressors for Medical Devices - KB Delta

Important Considerations for Medical Compressors

While compressors have shown huge benefits in medical facilities, there are several considerations that are given before a choice is made on the type of compressor to finally settle with.

Some of these considerations are:

Oil-free compressors

Oil-free compressors are used in medical facilities to ensure there is no potential for the supplied air to be contaminated. There are two choices of oil-less compressors and these are the reciprocating compressors and scroll compressors.

Oil-less reciprocating can be relied upon even though their pistons tend to overheat. Newer models feature cooler running piston systems to combat this heat.

Needless to say, they are ranked as Category 3 Care Devices. These are devices whose interruption in operation does not harm the patient directly.

Alternatively, oil-less scroll compressors do not generate excess heat and they offer 100% reliability even after completing their full duty cycle.

Banking Compressors

There are times when more compressed air may be required and in large amounts. And there are times of low demand for compressed air, and running the same compressor at full capacity to meet this low demand could lead to financial losses.

A way to prevent these losses is with the use of smaller compressors that can work at the same time to provide the required air needed and even in large amounts when it’s time to.

Quiet Operation

Medical compressors are built to operate quietly to ensure they do not pose dangers to the patient. To that effect, a good number of these compressors are designed to produce low noise. But it often comes at the expense of a more powerful operation.

This is because louder compressors tend to be more powerful than those that operate quietly and as such, supply more compressed air to large medical centers.

For this reason, hospitals that resort to the louder units usually install the compressors in detached buildings to ensure the patient is not disturbed by the noise.

Air Quality

It is just as important for the medical compressors used in hospitals to produce air that is free of contaminants.

This air must also have the right level of pressure.

The Importance of Compressors for Medical Devices - KB Delta

Conclusion

The importance of medical compressors spread across different areas of medical industries. They can be used in hospitals to aid ventilators, respirators, and pneumatic surgical tools function properly.

And most importantly, ensure that the right amount of air, and at the right pressure is given. And that it does not pose any harm to the patients.

Given the long warranty these units have, it ensures the medical facility can use them for a long time before there’s a need for replacement.

The modular design of these medical compressors take it one step further to provide ease and convenience in maintaining them to prolong their lifespan.


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