Electronics Design
Fig. 1. Hygiene in hospitals protects patients and health care professionals. Picture: SCHURTER AG.
Antimicrobial equipment switches and circuit breakers
Medical equipment must meet high standards of hygiene to ensure patient and staff safety. Christian von Arb looks at special switches and circuit breakers provided with antimicrobial covers for use in equipment for medical technology.
H
uman skin is densely populated with bacteria and fungi. Researchers have identified more than 4,700 types of bacteria that live on the palms of our hands, with each
person carrying as many as 150 different types. The composition of these
bacterial colonies differs considerably from person to person, even from one hand to the other; in fact, 83 per cent of the bacteria on one of a person’s hands are not present on the other hand. This wide variety of bacteria normally presents no danger for healthy people. However, pathogens such as flu and cold viruses and damaging intestinal bacteria spread just as easily through direct hand contact
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or by touching interaction elements such as switches and door handles. The result is a large range of possible bacteria that can collect on equipment controls operated by people.
Schurter has addressed this
Fig. 2. TA35 with antimicrobial properties from Schurter.
Picture: SCHURTER AG.
problem specifically and now offers the proven TA35 equipment switch and circuit breaker with an antimicrobial cover. The circuit breaker is already used to provide thermal overcurrent protection in high-quality applications around the world. Its new antimicrobial properties further expand its range of use into sensitive applications where the spread of bacteria must not occur. These include medical and laboratory equipment, such as switches for electrically adjustable patient beds, anesthesia workstations,
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