Isolated power in operating rooms

[scroot]

We are designing a new surgery facility with 18 operating rooms. We claim the operating rooms are wet locations and should have isolated power panels to alert staff to ground faults but keep the power on. The state (Michigan) is now stating that they will not require isolated power panels in operating rooms. The owner is deciding to not have isolated power panels. We know for a fact that the operating rooms will get wet with hosedown and bodily fluids that tend to go all over. Wet location or not, we feel isolated power panels are needed for safety in an intrusive environment.

Any thoughts from you all on this is greatly appreciated.

 

[ephesus56ad]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

Scroot,

I am with you. But also if I have a customer that wants to scrape by with the minium, I make them sign a waiver and release of responsabilty stating all the facts. That will keep you out of trouble, legal wise not your consience.

And just don't go there for surgery.

 

[roger]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

The "hosing down" argument may be weak in that this doesn't normally (I don't know if it ever does) occure during a proceedure.

The "Bodily Fluids" argument has merit.

This means you will have to install GFCIs to meet 517.20 and I wouldn't agree with Michigans deciscion that "interuption of power under fault conditions can be tolerated" in an O.R.

Although I agree with you that this would meet the definition of a wet location per the definition under Patient Care Area, I don't really have a say in the matter.

Roger

 

[caj1962]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

You may want to pose this question to the Risk manager of the facility. Use the arguments of can an outage be tolerated during a procedure. (GFCI trips out). The argument to save money now will be a lost cause if an outage occurs and someone is injured.
These are just my thoughts.

 

[scroot]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

Great comments!
Keep it coming.
This forum has been great for us.

I should clarify that the state and decision makers are calling the area NOT a wet location. There will be no GFI anywhere since power outage in an operating room can not be tolerated. If no isolated power is installed, no one will know when a ground fault is occuring. This is our fear. A patient with probes and things connected directly to the body would be an easy target for a fault path.

 

[alan mcneil]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

I am sure they will be using oxygen while operating, this is another concern they seem to be overlooking.

 

[cs409]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

maybe you should contact some people that are in the "know" as to what other hospitals use...their designs, etc. dealing with surgery areas... as for as wet location goes, i would not look at an operating room as anything other than super clean...never would think about it as a wet area!

 

[hbendillo]

Re: Isolated power in operating rooms

I have not used islolated power supplies for operating rooms for quite some time. We do not use GFCI either. The thinking in this matter is that equipment and probes used these days operate on very low voltage. In addition, modern equipment is very well insulated compared to former days. Alao, flammable gases are not used in todays surgical enviroment. If conditions really warrant the use of isolated power supplies, a special O. R. will be designed for it. The wet location argument just does not hold up any more. Like someone said before, a washdown does not occur during a procedure. I have probably done at least one hundred O. R.'s and we have not had a problem. This is probably true everywhere but I am not going swear nothing will ever happen. With that kind of evidence, you will have a very hard time convincing Hospital Administrators to spend the extra money.