EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Retaining Mains Leads to equipment

Hello all,

Previously we have hard wired devices, mains lead retainers on equipment etc. but there seems to be a growing number of devices with easily detachable mains leads.

It brings about the inability to test the mains lead when a device is presented for service without one. Particularly looking at mattress pumps and infusion pumps where trailing leads can easily become damaged.

Has anyone figured a best way to secure a mains lead to a device where it isn't possible to attach a P-clip for example? I am loathed to use cable ties as they look awful and present own risks as they aren't designed for strain relief.

Thanks in advance for any contributions.

Jack.

https://www.comms-express.com/categories/iec-lock-leads/
I tried P clips before and just laughed at my stupidity thinking staff would not drag devices by the mains leads. Find a solid steel P clip and they rip the back of the device out. The above link is a clever part and others do stock them. I remember a company showing them at the EBME conference last year, maybe John Sandham has their details?

Hi we have had the same problems as probably every other Clinical Engineering department we like:

https://www.se.com/uk/en/search/?q=Rapstrap&submit=Search
But now appear discontinued

https://www.rapstrap.com/
Or
https://www.toolstation.com/hook-loop-cable-tie/p72290

Thanks for your response Dustcap. I have actually tried those and they did their job, although one pulled the IEC socket right out of a ventilator and another broke the socket on an ultrasound! I have been exploring these again but I got voted down at the last discussion.

Technology often solves a problem but normally causes another. Another problem i see is right angled leads being used, again they often rip the device to bits when dragged off without unplugging from the wall. I have long said we should only use straight ended leads to overcome this problem.
The cable ties do work if staff don't cut them off to use the lead on something else.

Thanks, I'll have to get some of those and see what they're like!

If you're able to use colour coded rapstraps or hook and loop fasteners (velcro) you could use it as a aid for when the lead last had Electrical inspection and test e.g resistor colour code stands for year tested. We fit these labels below with Asset id code for device it was fitted to. (Not too long winded):
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/pre-printed-labels/7588018

Adding any retention device would be considered a modification of the medical device. Be sure you are ready to defend your decision if legal action occurs following any incident with the device (even if not related to your modification)!

Aha, we have this one again!

"Considered a modification" ... by who? Which Standard, "Guidelines" or what-have-you? Perhaps you can give us "chapter and verse", Mike.

"Legal action" ... can anyone remind us of any cases where such occurred (and what the outcome was)?

Either way (unless things have changed appreciably these last few years), all the Trusts I have ever done work in were breaking the "law" in this regard, then.

Surely a well-positioned P-clip et al is a better proposition than having the guts ripped out of a ventilator!

I'm not "having a go", by the way; it's just that I prefer clear guidance applicable across the board*, rather than leaving matters such as this to the conscience, integrity, opinion, experience (etc.) of individual engineers or technicians (aka "something else to worry about").

Meanwhile, does anyone know why nurses (other clinical staff are available) do this ... pull wheeled equipment away without disconnecting, yanking out the detachable cable on any or all equipment (and even, why are mains cables detachable at all)? Are they encouraged to do this during training? Is it a (younger) generational "thing"?

* On this, and all other "everyday matters" relating to biomedical engineering.

Which would be a clear indication that someone simply dragged (snatched?) the equipment away expecting the IEC mains lead to pull out of its socket.

Call me Old School (OK, I'm Old School) but I cannot understand the thinking there. Do they leave the gas pipelines and patient tubing plugged in as well? Indeed, do they even bother to power the equipment down before zooming off?

Also, how many times do we hear of (or find) that (rather than at the IEC connector end) the mains cable has been yanked out at the wall outlet? Likely damaging both the mains wall plug and/or socket, of course. British BS 1363 plugs and sockets are not designed for a straight pull (the cable, quite rightly, being at right-angles to the plug pins) ... unlike the standard US Hospital Grade and many Euro plugs.

No doubt I am not the only one who has seen IEC mains cables dangling forlornly side by side from trunking (ICU. NICU, CCU etc.), supposedly looking forward to the return of equipment they were once connected to (and probably supplied with). Unless switched at the outlet (some may be) they will all be energised. Depending upon cable lengths, some may be available as either trip, spillage or fluid-related electrical hazards; all easily avoided.

Other points:- if such practices have indeed become the norm (been tolerated), then all those "swappable" IEC mains cables should be of the same rating (probably 10A) and each wall plug fused at the same value. Otherwise, the whole concept of electrical safety and resilience becomes a joke.

Regarding EST regimes:- detachable mains cables could be colour coded, or "ringed" (like medical gas hoses) for different years. They could also be "asset tagged" ... either individually or to match the original parent equipment. Which is the best method? Who knows. Again, to my mind, all this stuff should be dealt with in a sensible and consistent manner across all healthcare settings.