BATTERIES


Car-like batteries are not the best medical cart batteries


Nowadays, most hospital record-keeping is done electronically. Therefore, medical carts that allow nurses to transport vital IT equipment between patient bedsides are invaluable. explains Leon Adams, VP of sales and marketing at Southwest Electronic Energy Group, an Ultralife company.


A


n effective power supply is important, and batteries offer a portable, reliable  released, IT equipment was powered solely by a wall socket or a heavy old-school battery similar to a car battery. Now, there  based power solutions that offer many 


Historically, carts would rely solely on tethered power from a wall outlet, and this would inevitably limit their mobility. More importantly, it would restrict them to areas with accessible outlets. Sometimes, this may  Limited mobility can severely disrupt   times and nurse mobility are crucial. In   presents a trip hazard. Untethered mobility  trend, and it means that medical staff are 


Selecting batteries for medical carts The choice of battery power system can  ease of use, so manufacturers must make  carts relied on sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries, which are the same as conventional car batteries. SLA batteries offer a practical solution, but we shouldn’t   are all far from ideal in busy hospitals. There are also cost implications to  More frequent replacements are often  maintenance time and costs for healthcare  and maintenance resources.


In the last decade, there has been a shift towards Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)


     reduction has made medical carts easier for  hospital corridors, and the power lasts up to 3  up to full 12 hour shifts of power. Finally,  with more than four times the available    It’s thanks to improvements in battery   


Ensuring continuous power Medical carts rely on uninterrupted power. If depleted batteries were to result in unplanned downtime, this could delay patient care. Traditional setups, where the battery is embedded inside the cart, require


14 SEPTEMBER 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS


   entire shifts.


    ready to be swapped in when needed. This rotation avoids the need to take carts out of    of seconds.


Some cart power solutions take this even further and have a small built-in ‘hold-up’ battery that maintains power to the system   power.


Over the last ten years, Ultralife has continuously developed its hot-swappable  power in these critical, fast-paced healthcare environments. The URS-X5 medical cart power system is the latest in a


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