Medical Electronics Medical power supplies
Selecting a medical power supply involves several crucial factors to ensure safety, reliability, and compliance with medical regulations. Luso Electronics’ power specialists discuss the key considerations.
Safety standards compliance: Ensure that the power supply meets the relevant safety standards; IEC 60601-1 for medical electrical equipment safety.
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC): Medical environments require strict EMC compliance to prevent interference with sensitive medical devices. Check that the power supply meets EMC standards like IEC 60601-1-2.
Isolation and leakage current: Medical power supplies should provide adequate isolation to prevent electric shocks and minimise leakage current to ensure patient safety. Input voltage range: Consider the input voltage range to ensure compatibility with the power sources available in your facility or region. This is especially important if designing a product for a medical in the home application as the voltage can fluctuate widely in the domestic environment.
Output voltage and current ratings: Determine the required output voltage and current ratings based on the specifications of the medical device or equipment it will power. Form factor and mounting options: How much space do you have? Consider the physical size, form factor, and mounting options of the power supply to ensure it fits within the available space and can be conveniently installed. Or would an external unit be more suitable? Temperature range: Verify that the power supply can operate within the temperature range expected in the medical environment, including both ambient and internal temperatures.
Efficiency and power factor: Higher efficiencies and power factor contribute to energy savings and reduce heat generation, which is particularly important in medical devices that may operate for extended periods. Audible noise: In some medical applications, especially those involving sensitive procedures or environments, minimising audible noise from the power supply may be necessary.
18 May 2024
Certifications and approvals: Check for relevant certifications and approvals such as UL, CE, and FDA approvals for medical use, depending on your region’s regulations.
Service and support: Technical support - is it available locally, what warranty coverage is offered?
Other considerations
Also, whilst on your product search you might come up against other terminology, or decisions to be made. Such as what do they mean by MOPP and MOOP, do I need a Class I unit or is a Class II one ok? Or should I use an embedded supply or external unit. Do you need multiple voltage rails? How can you supply these? Let’s look at these dilemmas.
MOPP v MOOP
When discussing medical power supplies, “MOPP” and “MOOP” are important safety
Components in Electronics
standards related to patient protection. Here’s what they mean:
MOPP (Means of Patient Protection): MOPP refers to the level of protection provided by medical electrical equipment to the patient, healthcare provider, and operator against electrical hazards. It ensures that any electrical fault within the equipment does not pose a risk of electric shock to the patient. MOPP standards are typically associated with the isolation requirements for medical devices. MOOP (Means of Operator Protection): MOOP, on the other hand, relates to the protection provided to the operator or user of the medical electrical equipment against electrical hazards. It ensures that even if there’s an electrical fault within the equipment, the operator is protected from any potential risks, such as electric shock or fire. In summary, while MOPP focuses on patient safety, MOOP focuses on the safety of the operator or user of the medical equipment. Both standards are critical for
ensuring the safe operation of medical devices in healthcare settings, 2 x MOPP is fairly standard.
Class I vs. Class II power supply Class I and Class II refer to different levels of protection against electric shock, below we discuss the differences.
Class I power supply:
Safety grounding: Class I power supplies have a safety ground connection, which means they rely on an earth ground for protection against electric shock. Single insulation: They typically have only one layer of insulation between the user and the electrically live parts, making them dependent on the earth ground for safety. Metal chassis: Often, Class I power supplies have a metal chassis to provide a path to ground in case of a fault. Symbol: The symbol for Class I equipment is a square within a square.
www.cieonline.co.uk
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