Furthermore:-
1) Manufacturer's service recommendations are written well
before equipment goes into service. In other words, they are simply an informed (hopefully) guess (and rarely revised following years of in-service experience)!
2) How many times have we come across equipment of similar type, but from different manufacturers ... only to find service recommendations for one being well over the top, the other "hard to find"?
3) Surely it is clear that the medical equipment scene is driven by the manufacturers ... and not the biomeds ... and that the "Regulatory Bodies" are clearly on the side of the manufacturers (
aka, CYA and taking the easy line of least resistance).
4) This sort of thing is yet another reason why biomeds need to be ... er,
assertive and keep fighting the
gougers! 
How can either the manufacturer (or, for that matter, the Regulator) know "what is best" at any individual hospital or clinic? At best, the manufacturer's recommendations should be viewed as simply a basis (or guide) to locally developed procedures (whether they be "less", or "more").
So ... beat them at their own game, and present the
evidence for Evidence-Based PM!
