Livengood Medical - Setting a New Standard for Patient Safety...

Setting a New Standard for Patient Safety...

UL60601-1 provides requirements for safety applicable to all medical electrical equipment that is within the patient vicinity. These standards are far more stringent than consumer standards to protect patients who are in compromised health. UL60601-1 also applies to the mechanical safety of the equipment.

PATIENT VICINITY is defined as any space with surfaces likely to be contacted by the patient and encompasses an area within 6 feet beyond the perimeter of the patient.

“Hospital Grade” does NOT mean for use in the Patient Vicinity
A plug strip or power source may indicate it is UL-tested but this does not mean that it was tested and approved for use in the patient vicinity. Hospital Grade plugs are only one part of what makes an electrical device patient safe. See below for other criteria that must be met.

IV Poles are a Safety Hazard and Prevent Ambulation
IV poles and other mechanical equipment to be used by patients are not tested for safety by an independent organization. IV poles are designed more on tradition than functionality, stability and safety. Designed to hold IV bags over 100 years ago, they are poorly designed to hold equipment and support patients during ambulation. In fact, they are frequently the reason patients don’t ambulate and are a well-known cause in patient falls resulting in injury and death. Adding a plug strip to the IV pole that is not tested for use in the Patient Vicinity only compounds the hazard.

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS MET BY THE PLATFORM
Unique to UL 60601-1

	Electrical Double-Fault Protection – A patient remains safe from shock after failure of a single level of protection. Leakage Current Less than 100mA – Leakage current is the non-operational current present in an electrical system when not plugged into power. A patient exposed to as little as 100mA may experience respiratory arrest and ventricular fibrillation. The risk is present with any single device and amplified as more equipment is plugged into the same system. The most definitive method to reduce leakage current is an isolation transformer, as found on the LIVENGOOD Platform.

	Mechanical Reduce exposure to moving parts, pinching, crushing, dropping. Surfaces, corners and edges – designed to avoid injury or damage. Tipping – equipment shall not overbalance when tilted through an angle of 5° in normal use. Labels – appropriate, durable labels for identification and safe operation. Durability – parts loaded to 4 times specified weight capacity without risk of injury to patient. Drop, repetitive wear and impact testing are also performed.

	Spillage, Fire, and Other Hazards The IPX1 rating held by the LIVENGOOD Platform identifies the protection provided against electrical hazards associated with exposure to water. IPX1 for a medical product indicates drip-proof, a higher than ordinary level of protection from drips, leaks, and spills.

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