John,
We are in the middle of a massive rebuild we are looking at pendants for something like 40 icu beds.
Weve sent bods all over the place looking at different pendants already in use and factory showrooms (including abroad).
Theres lots of issues that need to be addressed including asking :-
1. Do your pendants have suitable equipment rails to mount medical equipment from other manufacturers ?
(particularly Oxylitre, Therapy Equipment, East Healthcare/Penlon)
2. If no to 1. above will you supply and fit, free of charge, all brackets and fittings to enable such fitting ?
3. Does any ventilator docking system / trolley you will supply fit other manufacturers ventilators ? (particularly Drager, Engstrom, Puritan Bennett, Taema, Siemens)
4. If no to 3. above will you supply and fit, free of charge, all brackets and fittings to enable such fitting?
5. Does your ventilator docking system / trolley have independent ups facility?
6. If yes to 5. above please state spec.
7. Does your tender bid include all fixtures and fittings to enable the pendant to be fixed to the ceiling of the room and be fully operational, including all brackets, mountings and other fittings?
8. If no to 7. above state what is needed and the expected cost of such items that will be needed to have the pendant fully operational.
9. Can all MGPS terminal units be isolated to work on independently. Without having to switch off any supply to the rest of the pendant and / or other pendants in the clinical area?
10. Can the air supply used to drive the pendant be worked on and isolated without effecting the medical functionality of the pendant?
11. If the pendant is air driven can the pendant still be manoeuvred satisfactorily by one person if the air supply fails?
12. Can the electricity supply to the pendant be isolated in order for working on the pendant without effecting any other electrical supply to the clinical area?
13. Does the pendant have any UPS capacity?
14. If yes to 13. above please supply spec.
Basically I think what weve found is that with items like this you need to tie the supplier down as much as possible especially in areas such as the footplate that fits into the ceiling to take the pendant. There are lots of different plates. For different ceiling builds.
