Endoscopes Preventive Maintenance

The endoscope is a high-tech equipment that allows the doctor to see the inside of the human body through a television microchip or optical fibers that collects digitized images to be observed on a monitor and printed on photographs and recorded on video.

The internal organs are seen on a screen in the operating room. The doctor may also use pliers or scissors with the endoscope to remove tissue for biopsy, which is a much less invasive method than surgery would be.

An Endoscope

Endoscopies are a growing procedure worldwide, and the equipment can be expensive for clinics or hospitals to replace. That is why, as with so many other frequently used equipment, preventive maintenance is essential to keep costs down and the accidental transfer of bacteria. Infection control is a serious matter, and only the highest level of precaution will result in the patient safety. If you are given the job to inspect and apply a full preventive maintenance procedure (PPM) then we recommend that you have a look at the IPAC PPM checklist  

Patient safety is the number one concern with any medical procedure. Infections caused by improperly cleaned endoscopes are a frightening issue in the medical community and, above all, for potential patients. When not cleaned immediately or properly, the bacteria can form a biofilm that will not clear easily when cleaned. Due to the nature of endoscope's use, there is a variety of contaminants within the flexible tubes that can be difficult to clean properly, and due to their composition, some cannot be sterilized by safety heat. This equipment is of complex design, so paying attention to details and following procedures is crucial.

The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy notes that facilities in which a digestive endoscopy is performed must follow an effective quality control program to ensure that endoscopes are reprocessed correctly. Quality control programs for endoscopy should include systems that guarantee the availability of equipment and adequate supplies at all times, and strict procedures to report possible problems.

Preventive maintenance includes all periodic inspections of instruments and equipment, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, verification and information of defective components that could fail, altering the operational status of the equipment before the next inspection.

Damage to an endoscope can cause costly repairs, so it is important to familiarize yourself with proper care and handling techniques. We hope these guidelines help your endoscope to function efficiently for years to come.

The best and most efficient way to clean this complicated equipment is immediately after using a pre-cleaning protocol and then a complete cleaning and disinfection or sterilization. The sequence of reprocessing of endoscopes should be as follows: Pre-cleaning, cleaning, rinse, drying, disinfection, wipe, drying and storage.

What Everyone Must Know Inside MRI Machine

What Does MRI stand for?

MRI means Magnetic Resonance Imaging, it is called this was and it is based on the usage of a magnetic field to be able to make images of various organs and parts of the body, best MRI usage can be utilized when doing brain images, tendons images, cancer cells detection, Knee images and many more organs can be scanned. Since it is not based on radioactive material MRI is considered a safe way to get organs images. those who have pacemakers and other metal-based devices are not allowed to be near MRI devices.

How Does an MRI Work?

MRI devices utilize the fact that when the hydrogen atom is magnetized, the magnetic spin of the relaxation of the hydrogen atom more precisely the proton tends to go to the positive pole more than the negative pole.

This slight variation makes it possible for the MRI to have an image acquisition by using scanners to detect such proton behavior this allows the Doctor to able to see clearly through various organs and tissues. Since Hydrogen is found in water, and water is the base of all tissues and organs image creation is possible for almost all the human body.

How long is an MRI session?

Usually, the session is between 15-30 minutes on average but this can vary based on the organ that needs to be scanned and the area that the doctor wants to see. The annoying things about this process are that the patient needs to stay still for the entire scanning process and most MRI devices are closed, so if you are claustrophobic that would be a problem, however, now there are open MRI devices that can be less annoying to patients.

The Pea Pod® Baby Body Composition Analysis

The Pea Pod®

Consistently, one out of each nine infants in the U.S. is conceived untimely and can invest a long time in the neonatal emergency unit. Presently innovation is helping preemies and sending them home sooner.

The ability to assess the composition of the neonatal body is essential to see how fetal exposures to nutrients, hormones and ecological variables are identified with the state of the healthy baby, the development and progress of infections at some point along the way.

The Pea Pod®

TOP 7 Books In Biomedical Engineering

Here is a list of top 7 must-read books for anyone pursuing a course in Biomedical Engineering or having a keen interest in this field, or even working as a biomedical engineer in the medical domain and want to know more about various aspects of the biomedical field, you can make use of the Top 7 books in biomedical engineering field to advance and know more about various portions of the biomedical field. 

 

1.      3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

3D Bioprinting and Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering is a comprehensive book highlighting the industrial applications of these technologies. It also covers other topics of current relevance such as nano-bio-materials and stem cells in tissue regeneration.

The book highlights the clinical applications, regulatory hurdles, and risk-benefit analysis of each technology and helps you in selecting the ideal materials and recognising the apt parameters for printing and incorporate biologically active agents and cells into a printed structure. The integration of 3D printing and nanotechnology is explained with an overview to improve the safety of application of these in aspects in biomedical applications.

The text also discusses legal and regulatory aspects and commercial overviews making it a perfect practical guide for anyone venturing in the field of biomedical technology by extrapolating theoretical aspects into an industrial or clinical setting. Application- wise sustainability and short-comings have been discussed for various technologies to make their commercial use feasible in meeting medical needs. The book brings a right blend of theoretical concepts and the latest principles and technologies.

Authors	Lijie Grace Zhang, John P Fisher, Kam Leong
Publisher	Academic Press, 2015
ISBN	0128006641, 9780128006641
Length	392 pages

Introducing Computerized Tomography

What Is a CT Scanner? 

Computerized tomography (CT or commonly called CAT) is a technique which uses x rays to take images in multiple planes and these images are then assembled in a computer to form a three-dimensional picture of the organ to be viewed. This type of special X-ray, in a sense, takes "pictures" of slices of the body so doctors can look right at the area of interest.

Computerized tomography (CT) provides good details for soft organs and blood vessels compared to normal x rays. Using this technology the radiologist can interpret the cancers, trauma, vascular injuries, musculoskeletal deformities, etc in an easy and precise way.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Ophthalmology Laser Advances

INTRODUCTION

Lasers have revolutionized every specialty of medicine since its invention almost half a century back. In 1961, the ruby laser was the first one to have found clinical application in ophthalmology. Presently, lasers have become an indispensable tool in diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide spectrum of diseases, involving both anterior and posterior segments of the eye like glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, etc.

CLINICALLY AVAILABLE LASERS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

The results of the attempting to instrumentalize sunlight in ophthalmic surgery by the famous German ophthalmologist, Dr. Gerhard Meyer Schwickerath changed medical history and laid the foundation for modern laser surgery as we know it today. Today, a large variety of different lasers are used for surgery and therapy in ophthalmology. Some of the commonly available lasers and their clinical applications are listed below:

Role of Lasers in Ophthalmology

Excimer Laser: It is a Photoablative laser with 193nm wavelength and is used in epithelial and anterior stromal keratopathies, PRK and LASIK. It falls under the Ultra-violet spectrum. 

The excimer laser is mainly used in vision correction of myopia, astigmatism or hyperopia. There are certain risks related to doing such eye surgery, you can see an article published by FDA to reduce such risks. 

BILISPEC BILIRUBIN MEASUREMENT DEVICE

Jaundice is due to hyperbilirubinemia, which is particularly common in premature babies, who need an adequate liver capacity to discharge excess bilirubin. Affects approximately 60 percent of babies, can cause brain damage or even death if not treated.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where specialists often do not have access to expensive diagnostic equipment, babies are 100 times more likely to die from this cause than newborns in the United States.

All You Need To Know About Dermatology Laser Application Trends

 

INTRODUCTION

Over the past few decades, laser systems have been found extensive application in various clinical aspects of cosmetic surgery. From use in photocoagulation and vaporization of vascular malformations to removal of epithelial lesions, lasers have become an indispensable tool in surgery.

However, the thermal properties of laser treatment adversely affect the adjacent tissue, thus impacting wound healing and scar formation negatively. This problem has been addressed by the more selective and restrictive destruction of targeted tissue by the more recent laser systems like pulsed and Q-switched lasers matched to the target’s absorption characteristics.

These advances help in expanding the therapeutic spectrum of lasers in the field of cosmetic surgery and improvement in the quality of results achieved.

MODES OF OPERATION OF MEDICAL LASERS

Laser radiation used in dermatology work of the same basic principle but can be varied depending on the system used and the intended application keeping the three core variables in mind:

1. Wavelength

This can be tuned in dye lasers within a range by use of a single dye, the range can be broadened by exchanging the dye solution. Multiline regimen use is also possible with some lasers eg: Argon, Copper, etc.

2. Pulse Duration

The pulse duration is normally fixed in the Pulsed Q-switched lasers but the dose of radiation being delivered to a patient is dependent on other variables also like pulse energy, duration of exposure, and repetition rate.

3. Power

Mechanical and electrical shutters can be used to adjust the exposure time and CW systems help in the easy scaling of the power. Some systems also allow the beam to be scanned along the treated surface using acoustic and galvanometric or optic deflectors.

Three Dimensional Bone Printing

Bone restoration for patients is sometimes hard to be attained especially when there are infections or trauma, this had been a challenge to achieve in the past years. As there are complications to the conventional autografts or allografts, these challenges have led to the emerging of a new way to provide healthy bone tissues that are strong and patient-compatible. 

Three Dimensional Bone Printing technique is used for Patients requiring skeletal augmentation, for example, Facial asymmetry, Patients with facial trauma, Infections, Trauma, Congenital diseases.They are usually fit to be aided with three-dimensional bone printing procedure to restore normal human anatomy and function of the bone and the affected part.

Positron Emission Tomography Summary

Introduction to PET Scan

Positron Emission Tomography or PET is a method which is used to detect the cellular activity of a structure along with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) it is used to create multidimensional color images of inside working of the human body. It shows not only what an organ looks like, but how it is functioning.

Working Principle of a PET Scanner 

PET scan uses a scanning device which detects the positron particles emitted from the target tissue or organ the radiotracers used in PET scans are made by attaching a radioactive atom to chemical substances that are used naturally by the particular organ or tissue during its metabolic process. For example, the radioactive element is applied to glucose which works as the primary source of energy for almost each and every organ of human body. The radionucleotide of glucose is called Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).