Medical devices management
New guide on medical equipment principles
An ‘Essential guide to medical equipment principles’, has been launched to help new clinical engineers, junior nurses, medics and operating department practitioners (ODPs) understand the fundamentals of many of the standard medical devices they will encounter in a hospital environment.
Authored by leading EBME expert, David Mulvey, the ‘Essential guide to medical equipment principles’ can be used for both self-directed learning and also in a classroom environment as a textbook. Each of the seven chapters are designed to cover a particular type of medical device such as mechanical ventilators, along with the physiology that must be understood, in order to make sense of their application and engineering concepts. This fundamental knowledge will enable the reader to progress further in the years to come. The author’s medical engineering experience
spans over 40 years. Working in the commercial sector with leading names such as S&W and Vickers Medical, as well as his own company Artemis Medical, David has previously held roles as Senior Engineer, Technical Training Manager and Technical Director. David has run countless training courses and seminars not only in the UK but also in Europe. In 1985, he set up a training school for Vickers Medical, in Rochdale, near Manchester, which he
ran for around 13 years. The final 10 years of David’s career were spent in the NHS as a Technical Training Manager and Senior Technical Support Engineer. During this time, David was able to develop and design training programmes that had real relevance for clinical engineers, particularly those just embarking on their careers.
His training has gained a worthy reputation for a quality and practical approach to many complex clinical engineering subjects. Having been retired for the past five years, David has used this time to write this book to preserve and pass on his experience. “As an engineer, it is vital to understand the
clinical aspects of the medical equipment – ultimately, it is all about what the equipment does for the patient. It is great to have a good understanding of the electronics and the mechanics, but without an understanding of the clinical implications, patient safety can be put at risk. I have been
called to Coroner’s courts to give evidence when equipment has failed. It is clear there is a need for more accessible training tools to help provide a comprehensive understanding of the physiological and engineering principles underlying medical equipment,” David commented. He cites an example of the importance of engineers understanding the patient safety risks relating to errors in ventilator pressure. When reading service manuals, engineers need to be aware of the gravity of misreading vital parameters – human factors such as misreading the number of zeros, or a decimal point in the wrong place, can result in fatal consequences. Understanding the potential risks can help ensure vigilance when setting up ventilator equipment, for example.
With this in mind, there is a dedicated chapter
that covers both the workings of the human respiratory system and the operation of mechanical ventilation. It begins with a detailed explanation, accompanied by detailed diagrams, of the respiratory system, covering the upper airways, trachea and lungs and showing how oxygen moves from entering the body to being absorbed into the bloodstream. The guide explains the
various factors, such as respiratory medical conditions, that can inhibit respiration,
then moves on to describe mechanical ventilation – explaining the principles behind it and its potential applications. The guide provides illustrated examples of mechanical ventilators and discusses the specific circumstances in which they might be used, as well as exploring the key considerations for biomedical engineers in respect of mechanical ventilators, particularly
34
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I May 2025
phonlamaiphoto -
stock.adobe.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
