The Biomedical Instrumentations Lab is a simulated clinical environment equipped with electronic based medical devices such as patient monitoring systems, infusion pumps, cardiac defibrillators, ultrasound machines, neonatal equipment and various other commonly used biomedical instrumentations. Students learn about the devices functionalities and train to troubleshoot and repair them in accordance with certain standards.
The labs objective is to familiarize students with how to identify, troubleshoot and repair problems relating to the operation of electronic based medical devices. With the recent surge of biomedical advancements, a large number of electronic based medical devices have found their way into hospitals and medical clinics. Devices such as patient monitoring systems and infusion pumps have become invaluable tools for many healthcare providers to provide the necessary care for their patients. Many biomedical instruments are composed of the same or similar electronic components found in basic consumer electronics, such as a TV. Although similar components are used, there are specific troubleshooting techniques that are used when repairing a biomedical instrument due to the risk of serious harm if a device operates incorrectly. Students learn the techniques of troubleshooting and repairing many biomedical instruments that were generously donated by local hospitals and medical centers.
Patient Monitoring Systems are widely used in hospitals and medical centers
Students complete multiple projects in the biomedical instrumentations lab. Each project gets progressively more difficult as students learn to troubleshoot increasingly more sophisticated medical instruments.
Projects typically include, but are not limited to, the following:
Before students can learn how to repair medical devices, they must first understand the terminology and methods of medical equipment service manuals. Early on in the lab, students learn how to troubleshoot, calibrate and service medical devices using several different types of commonly found service manuals. In addition, students learn how to use NFPA-99 and AAMI standards while testing and calibrating instrumentations. Using these standards, students learn how to measure the currents and linkage of a device, and how to troubleshoot any potential problems.
ESU’s are robotic arms that doctors use instead of the traditional scalpel to make incisions. ESU’s are making their way into many modern hospitals and allow doctors to perform certain surgeries remotely. Students learn how to repair and calibrate Monopolar ESU Devices, which are the kind of ESU instruments that doctors use to make cuts to the skin and organs.
If you haven’t heard the word “Smart Technology” before, you’ve probably at least seen it in action; home automation companies frequently use it to allow residents to control their thermostats and alarms from the convenience of their phone. Smart Technology is in hospitals too. One of the more frequent places you might see it is in Infusion Pumps. Infusion Pumps with Smart Technology allow for the pumps to be programmable to make sure patients not only get the right kind of drugs, but also the right amount of it. In this project, students calibrate and repair infusion pumps.
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